Black and Rose Gold
by GerdyGertha
Summary: "Wait. Don't you want your change?" It's just short of 35 dollars, and she doesn't understand as he shakes his head. "Merry Christmas," he says again, stopping to look at her one last time. "Thank you for opening the store for me." She stands in shock, with the money left in her hand as he smiles and leaves the store, leaving her in a daze. - Modern Day AU
1. Chapter 1: Black and Rose Gold

**Chapter 1: Black and Rose Gold**

 _A Pleasant Melody_ wakes Tris from her deep sleep, and she taps the green icon on her phone, glaring at the photo of her and her best friend from her birthday party.

"What?" Tris groans into the phone.

"Tris, please. I woke up late and I'm supposed to be at _Sofia's_. Please, please, please, will you go in early for me?" Christina asks in a panic.

Tris groans again in protest, but she'll do it. Christina lives a good thirty minutes from the mall, while Tris only lives five. Also, Christina wears four times as much makeup, so she takes way longer to get ready. "Fine."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Christina squeals. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell Sofia I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tris says, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, and letting her feet hit the cold hardwood.

"I owe you one! Gotta go!" Christina hangs up before Tris can even respond. She sets her phone down and heads into her bathroom to get ready. So much for the evening shift she was so excited about. She really doesn't mind though. She loves working at _Sofia's_. The little boutique and the other girls she works with have become her family, and Sofia is like their mother.

She quickly gets ready for the day. As soon as she steps outside, she shakes her head. "Nope," she mumbles to herself. Tris goes back inside, puts on a heavier winter coat and a pair of gloves, and then decides she is okay to face the cold Chicago winter.

Tris takes her car to the strip mall, just a short drive from her apartment. She parks in the back, and realizes she is the first one there when she needs to unlock the back door. During business hours, it's always open because Sofia likes to enjoy a cigarette in the back – every hour, on the hour.

Tris enters the back of the shop, turning on lights as she goes. She makes her way to the registers and powers them on. They're powered by computers, so they take a minute to warm up. She goes back into the break room and leaves her jacket and her purse in her locker. Making her way back to the front, she organizes and cleans little things she sees until she deems it ready for opening. The registers beep, signaling that they are ready for the day, so she goes to them. Just now does she realize the date: the Sunday before Christmas.

"Oh God," she mutters. The Sunday before Christmas is comparable to Black Friday in the shop. Everybody is trying to get their last minute gifts. It's also comparable to Valentine's Day as far as a tally of male shoppers goes. With that thought, Tris powers on the extra register in addition before going back to the break room to search for a quick breakfast. She shuffles through the fridge until she finds an apple.

A noise behind her startles her and she looks up to see Sofia. "Tris, why are you here so early?" Sofia asks.

"Christina woke up late," Tris says.

Sofia looks totally unsurprised. "Again, that girl!" Tris just nods. "She's lucky to have an early rising friend like you!" Sofia laughs as she leaves the break room.

Tris quickly eats her apple, leaving five minutes for a bathroom break before they have to open. When she comes out of the bathroom, she finds Marlene perched at the counter, flipping through one of the shop's catalogues, and Tori tapping away on the screen of the end register.

"Hey, Tris! Covering for Sleeping Beauty this morning?" Marlene laughs, jumping down from the counter.

"How'd you know?" Tris asks in mock surprise. She goes to the window and turns on the open sign. A light-up white, gold, and light pink sign Sofia made – one of her do-it-yourself projects that actually went really well. The shop gets compliments on it all the time.

Customers are already walking around outside, so it's just a matter of time before a few begin filing in. Tris goes back to the registers next to Marlene. Marlene is always smiling, so much so that the girls have nicknamed her Smiley – just the same as Christina's nickname, Sleeping Beauty. Tori is like their older sister, the one who will hang out with them if all of her other friends are busy, but prefers to keep to herself.

"Is anyone else coming today?" Tris asks as the girls wait.

"Other than us, I saw Shauna's name on the schedule, but last I talked to her she sounded kind of sick. Molly and Lynn are on the schedule too, but who knows with them." Tris nods. Molly and Lynn have been known to just not show up to work. Sofia is on the brink of firing Molly, but she keeps Lynn around because she is crazy fast at her job.

The first customer enters the shop as Tris is about to respond. It's a man. "How can we help you today?" Marlene asks as she approaches him. Tris watches as Marlene leads him to a shelf of pants.

 _Sofia's_ women's boutique happens to be pretty popular in Chicago, with items that are classier and quieter than typical, larger department stores. Walking into _Sofia's_ is like walking into a cotton ball. It's light and inviting. This time of year, there are less pastels and more warm colors on the shelves, but they're all pretty muted – not overtaking the neutral colors next to them. The walls are an ivory color with flecks of gold, and the floors are the same but in the form of large, shiny tiles. The shop has a uniform, yet creative feel that is unique, and part of why Tris loves working here.

Marlene checks the man out at her register just as another group walks in. It looks to be a mother and two daughters, and they go directly to the shoes. Tris doesn't bother asking them if they need assistance because by the determined look on their faces, they clearly don't.

The rest of the day goes by, and to say it was busy would be the understatement of the year. They had a line out the door all day. Christina and Shauna both eventually came, helping out at the registers. Lynn came too, restocking the shelves at the speed of light. Marlene was helping customers shop, and Tris worked the fourth register. They all had to work as quickly as possible, in a pitiful attempt to keep the lines short.

The store usually closes at ten, but they stayed open until eleven, simply because there were still people shopping. Finally, they shut down the registers and sorted through the tornado-like destruction that was the shop. Clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories were strewn all over the shop. Sofia herself was ecstatic about how she'd never seen her shop in so much chaos; she loved it. Tris is the last remaining employee, because Sofia's husband called and begged her to come home. Tris is exhausted, but she doesn't mind. She finds the quiet, empty shop peaceful and beautiful, and she definitely doesn't mind the overtime Sofia is going to pay her.

Tris sighs as a shirt falls off its hanger and onto the floor. She picks it up as a sudden tap on the window behind her startles her half to death. She whips around and squints out into the darkness to see a tall man standing on the other side of the window. He looks frantic, and usually she would dismiss him as crazy, and probably dangerous, and ignore him, but something about him intrigues her, and she approaches the window cautiously.

"Please tell me you're still open," he says, his voice muffled from the other side of the glass. Tris stares in shock, but automatically shakes her head. She watches a puff of breath leave his mouth in response, visible by the freezing temperature outside. He bends his neck and rests his forehead on the glass. She hears him mutter something, but she can't hear what. He looks up at her again and his eyes are pleading. "Please, my sister will kill me if I forget her Christmas present… again."

He watches through the window as the short young woman cracks a smile. His expression reminds her of her own brother. She stares at him for a moment, and he watches as she takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. She nods, and he smiles. She looks into his eyes, and something about him tells her that it's okay. She doesn't know what crazy part of her brain sent that signal, but she opens the door.

"Thank you so much," he says graciously as he steps inside. His voice is deep, and she feels as though the sound waves from him go straight into her core. As he walks past her and she shuts the door, she catches a hint of his scent. He smells manly, and like something straight out of a very expensive perfume shop. "I really appreciate this." She has the sudden urge to touch the short, dark stubble on his cheek, though she has no idea why. His dark eyes look black, and it takes her a moment to realize there are actually blue.

"No problem," she says, shaking herself from her stare. He stares at her for a second too long, too, looking at the peculiar gray-blue color of her eyes. She clears her throat. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

He nods as he takes his phone out from his jacket pocket. He taps on it a few times before showing her a picture. "My sister has been hinting at one of these since her birthday." Tris looks at the picture of a black, leather, hobo style bag with rose gold hardware. "She said this store would probably have it."

Tris nods and leads him to the wide array of purses. Sofia has a certain place in her heart for handbags, so the shop carries more than what is normal for a shop that doesn't specialize in them. Tris quickly sorts through the shelves and finds one nearly identical to the photo. "Will this work?"

He looks at the bag and smiles. "That is perfect. Thank you so much," he pauses to read her name tag, "Tris." She returns his smile, stunned by the perfection of his. A full bottom lip and a spare upper lip framed a row of perfect, white teeth, forming a very sexy smile that reaches his eyes.

They walk to the counter, and she checks him out at the register. She scans the bag and tells him, "This will be 465.49." He nods and hands her five 100 dollar bills. She wonders momentarily what he does for a living to carry around cash like that. As he hands her the money, she can't help but look at his left hand and notice no ring on any of his fingers. She does notice a colorful bracelet made of string and beads peeking out from the sleeve of his coat, which she thinks is a bit strange. A weight drops on her chest when she realized that even if he isn't married, he must have kids.

She shakes her head internally, and he watches as she expertly wraps up the purse in the custom gift wrapping. She retrieves his change and holds both out to him. He takes the purse with a small smile. "Merry Christmas," he says with a nod of his head, and he turns to walk away.

"Wait," she says. "Don't you want your change?" It's just short of 35 dollars, and she doesn't understand as he shakes his head.

"Merry Christmas," he says again, stopping to look at her one last time. "Thank you for opening the store for me." She stands in shock, with the money left in her hand as he smiles and leaves the store.

"Thank you, and you, too," she says quietly, even though he is gone, leaving her in a daze.

 **Author's Note: Hello, everybody! I wanted to have this up for Christmas, but it just wasn't ready. I really miss writing, and this was so much fun to do. I don't have much time in life at all, but I've decided I don't care. I want to write, even if it's not often.**

 **This will be a story. How long, I don't know. I also have zero idea how often I'll update.**

 **I love you guys, so I hope this is okay with you. In the beginning of each chapter, I'll give a short summary of what happened in the previous, just to remind you. It may be entirely direct quotes, or it may be just me telling you. It may be long, or it may be short - either way, I hope it is helpful. Of course, let me know if it's not, and I won't do it.**

 **Sorry that this note was so long, and please enjoy this story!  
-GerdyGertha**


	2. Chapter 2: Curiosity and Confusion

**Previously (Black and Rose Gold)…** _Tris went into work at_ Sofia's _, a women's boutique in a strip mall in Chicago, early to cover her best friend's morning shift on the Saturday before Christmas Day. After a busy day, Tris stayed late to continue cleaning up the shop when a knock on the window startled her. A man asked to enter, needing to purchase a Christmas present for his sister. Tris was wary, but also intrigued, and let him in. She found him the perfect purse, and he paid. He left her with his 35 dollars in change and in a state of confusion._

 **Chapter 2: Curiosity and Confusion**

Tobias climbs into his car, the petite girl with the striking eyes still fresh in his mind. He mentally scolds himself for when he checked out her ass as she reached up for the purse, but he can't be too upset. Tris. He doesn't know anything about her beyond how stunning she is, and that she seems to be a nice and understanding person – at least that's what he assumes, since she opened the store late at night for a strange man. She looked terrified when he tapped on the window, – probably not the best method to get her attention, but it was his first impulse – but then something shifted in her expression and she opened the door. He wishes he would have said something more, especially when he left her with his change. _Not creepy at all, Tobias_ , he thinks with a heavy sigh.

He shakes his head as he pulls onto the main road towards his apartment. "Idiot," he mumbles. He should have said something, anything. He wants to see that girl again, but he has no idea how.

Tobias arrives home and places the purse for his sister under his tree next to the large stack of presents for his niece. He spoils Emily rotten, and it drives her mother crazy, but he couldn't care less. He'll spoil his niece as much as he wants. He shuts off all the lights and climbs into his bed, that girl still on his mind. How can he see her again? He picks up his phone and decides to type her name into _Facebook_ , just out of curiosity at what might pop-up. He doesn't know her last name, so he just types 'Tris.' The first result is for a Tris Prior, and he has a mutual friend. Surprised, he taps on the profile, and sure enough, the blonde haired girl's smiling face is looking at him, along with another girl who looks very familiar. He scrolls to see the friends they share, and he is even more surprised to discover that one of his closest friends is also friends with her – Shauna, his best friend's girlfriend. He can't help the smile that crosses his face at the possibility of meeting her again. With that thought, he falls into a peaceful sleep, disrupted only with images of a particular pair of gray-blue eyes.

Tobias is woken up by a text message. With a grunt he rolls over and retrieves his phone from his bedside table.

 _Zeke_ : You have to help me get a gift for Shauna.

 _Tobias_ : You still haven't gotten her a gift?

 _Zeke_ : I need help.

 _Tobias_ : Idiot. Pick me up in thirty.

 _Zeke_ : K

Tobias glances at the clock as he stretches his arms up, and flings the blanket off of him. He walks to his adjoining bathroom to get ready for the day. As he is brushing his teeth, events from yesterday come back to him, and he makes a mental note to ask about Tris.

Right on time, Tobias goes downstairs and approaches Zeke's poor excuse for a car. The sad little hatchback was red in its prime, but now it's more pink than red, with its faded and chipped paint. There are more dents and rust on it than anything else. Tobias reaches for the door handle but doesn't find one, but instead a hole in the metal. He looks in to see Zeke stretched across the seats opening the door from the latch inside.

"What the hell?" Tobias asks his best friend.

"The handle popped off yesterday. Scared the shit out of Shauna," Zeke laughs. Tobias just shakes his head and climbs in the car, his head just grazing the ceiling.

"So, where're we going?" Tobias asks as Zeke puts the car into drive. It makes a terrible grinding noise before lurching forward.

"It's a surprise."

Tobias glares at Zeke. "What do you mean? Do you have any idea what she wants?"

"Not a one," Zeke says. "I asked her and she said to just get her anything."

"Which means she wants you to try to figure it out?"

Zeke shrugs. "I know what I'm getting her, but I need your help." Tobias notes how shady his friend is being, but he brushes it off; Zeke rarely makes much sense.

"Whatever."

"What did you get Talia?" Zeke asks, turning his head as they stop at a light.

"She had a very specific purse she wanted, so I bought it last night."

" _Last night_? And you're trying to give _me_ shit?"

Tobias is going to tell Zeke to shut up, but that reminds him. "Yeah. Anyways, speaking of last night, do you know a girl named Tris?"

Zeke thinks for a moment as the traffic light turns green. "Oh yeah, a girl named Tris works with Shauna." Tobias mentally slaps himself in the forehead. Of course! He knew Shauna worked at a clothing store, albeit he didn't know which one. "Why? Did my boy have a wild night?" Zeke asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"No. I bought Tal's purse last night, you idiot."

"Then why are you asking about Tris?"

"She sold me the purse," Tobias says.

"So?" Zeke asks, nudging Tobias arm. "She's pretty hot, right?"

Tobias felt heat creep up his neck as he shook his head at his friend. If Shauna heard him talking like that about another girl, she'd chop his balls off. "She's okay," Tobias lies. She's a hell of a lot more than 'okay.'

"If she's _okay_ , why are you asking about her?" Tobias just shrugs in response. "Fine. Don't tell me." Zeke is met with silence, a common response from his best friend. "You do have to help me pick out Shauna's gift though."

They pull into the parking lot of one of the biggest malls in Chicago. They walk inside, hands in pockets. Tobias follows Zeke as he leads him to a jewelry store.

"What the hell, man? You can't pick out jewelry for your girlfriend on your own?" Tobias grumbles as they step inside the brightly lit room.

Zeke stops and turns to look his friend in the eyes. He looks serious, a rare look for Zeke. "I'm not getting her just any jewelry. I want to propose." Tobias can't help the proud grin that spreads across his face.

"Seriously? Marriage? _You_?"

"Shut the hell up," Zeke says, back to his normal self. "Yes, I want to marry her."

Tobias doesn't like touching of any kind, so for him to put a stiff arm around his best friend and slap him amicably on the back is huge. After Zeke takes a moment to get over the shock of his best friend hugging him, he returns it. "Congratulations, man," Tobias says.

The two men, with absolutely no taste or clue, work with an assistant who tries to contain her frustration with the perplexed pair. Finally, she suggests Zeke call one of Shauna's friends to get some help. Zeke calls Marlene and tells her to meet him at the mall, but doesn't tell her why. They go to the food court to wait for her.

"So, when did you decide you wanted to settle down?" Tobias asks, munching on a bag of chips.

"New Years," Zeke says, taking a large gulp of his drink. Tobias' eyebrows rise in surprise that Zeke was able to hold in a secret for almost a full year. "I thought Christmas would be the best time because she hates every other holiday."

"What about Valentine's Day?"

Zeke shakes his head. "Nope. She thinks it's too cheesy."

"What about her birthday?"

"Nope. Remember her grandmother died on her tenth birthday?"

"Damn," Tobias says, remembering that Shauna does hate her birthday. Zeke just nods. "Well, then I guess Christmas works." Zeke nods just as Marlene walks up to their table.

"What am I doing here?" she asks.

"Hello to you, too," Zeke says, standing up.

"Hi!" she says at a high pitch with a fake, enthusiastic smile. "What am I doing here?"

"You'll see," Zeke says. "Just come with us."

The three make their way back to the jewelry store, and the assistant looks relieved to see Marlene an addition to their party.

"Oh my God," Marlene squeals as soon as she puts two and two together. "You're going to propose!"

"Shh!" Zeke shushes her, but it doesn't make her grin falter. "I need your help. I have no idea what kind of ring Shauna would like."

"Oh, I've got this," Marlene says. The assistant and Marlene immediately begin discussing different cuts, colors, bands, diamonds, gemstones, and other things that Zeke nor Tobias understand. Eventually, the assistant brings out a tray of ten different rings.

"I think Shauna would like any of these, so pick your favorite," Marlene says. Zeke looks over the rings, and immediately rules out five of them. They just don't seem like something Shauna would like. Then he rules out two more because of their price tags. He looks at the three left.

"What do you think, Tobias?" he asks his best friend. Tobias looks at the rings, picking them up and examining them closer as Zeke had done.

"I can't see her liking this one," Tobias says, holding a ring up for Zeke to see. It's just a bit too flashy; a bit more Marlene and a little less Shauna. Zeke nods in agreement, bringing them down to two.

"I can't decide which one I like better," Zeke says, holding either ring in his hands. He takes a minute to think of how Shauna would look wearing either ring. He wonders which one she would be more proud to show off to everyone who lays eyes on it. "This one," he finally decides.

"I like that one better, too," Tobias nods.

"Alright!" the assistant says with relief. "We can just make our way over here and get all the paper work done." After another half hour, Marlene heads back to her car and Tobias and Zeke back to his.

"How the hell did you afford that?" Tobias asks as climbs inside Zeke's poor excuse for a car.

"Look at my car. She's been begging me to replace it for months, but I couldn't get a new car and a ring," Zeke says. Tobias nods, finally understanding why his best friend didn't give the piece of shit to the junkyard.

"Are you coming over for Christmas Eve on Monday?" Zeke asks as they head back to Tobias' house.

"Yeah." Tobias' plan is to spend Christmas Eve with his friends and then Christmas Day with his sister, brother-in-law, and his niece. "Are you going to propose that night?"

Zeke nods. "It's going to be my gift to her."

"That's good." A thought crosses Tobias mind. "So, who is all coming to the party?" he asks, trying to sound casual.

Zeke smirks knowingly at his best friend. "Oh, you know. No one special. Just Uriah and Mar, and a few of Shauna's work friends." Tobias tries to nod along like he isn't annoyed by the vagueness of Zeke's list. Zeke smiles to himself, knowing that his description is going to drive his friend crazy until the Christmas Eve party on Monday.

Tobias doesn't mention it again as they pull up in front of his apartment. "I'll see you Monday."

"Yeah. And thanks a lot for your help, man," Zeke says. Tobias gives a quick nod of his head before entering his apartment building. The idea that Tris may very well be at that party distracts him from any other thoughts. He selfishly hopes that she will be at the party rather than spending the holiday with her family.

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!**

 **Also, I've been forgetting to tell you guys, but I made a Tumblr… a few people have told me to make one, so I did, but I have no idea what it is or what to do on it… Anyone want to help me out?  
I think you can search GerdyGertha and find me?  
-GerdyGertha**


	3. Chapter 3: Worry and Diamonds

**Previously (Curiosity and Confusion)…** _Thoughts of the girl from the boutique kept Tobias' mind busy, so out of curiosity at what he might find, he typed her name into_ Facebook _. He found her profile and discovered that they share a mutual friend: his best friend's girlfriend, Shauna. The next morning, a text from his best friend, Zeke, woke him up. Zeke asked Tobias for help in picking out an engagement ring for Shauna, so he could propose at the Christmas Eve party on Monday. Tobias silently hoped he'd see Tris there._

 **Chapter 3: Worry and Diamonds**

Tris puts her diamond, stud earrings in, thinking of the Christmas three years ago when her mother gifted them to her. A sad smile crosses her face as she remembers the happy holiday evening.

 _Flashback_

" _Beatrice's turn!" Natalie says happily, handing her daughter a small box wrapped up in festive paper._

" _Mom," Beatrice disapproves, recognizing the shape of the box from when she saw it at a boutique at the Silver Mall. "You shouldn't have."_

" _You're my daughter, and I'll buy you gifts whether you like it or not," Natalie laughs. Beatrice rolls her eyes and tears open the paper. She holds the little box in her hand and removes the lid to find a pair of beautiful, diamond, stud earrings._

" _Thank you so much," Beatrice says, standing to wrap her arms around her mother. "I love them. And you."_

" _I'm so glad, and I love you, too, sweetheart."_

 _End Flashback_

Tris wipes a small tear from the corner of her eye. She takes a deep breath and smiles, refusing to think anything negative on such a beautiful day. She takes the brief moment to remember her mother, and then goes on her way.

Tris looks at the dashboard clock and is pleased to see she has arrived at Zeke and Shauna's on time. She grabs the bag of gifts for her friends from the backseat of her car before locking it up and carefully making her way to the front door, being cautious of the slippery walkway. She presses the doorbell and it immediately opens, a smiling Shauna on the other side.

"Tris!" Shauna enthuses, opening the door for her co-worker and friend. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Tris replies, happy to see her friend in such high spirits for the holiday. "It smells incredible in here."

"That's Zeke's cooking," Shauna says. "He's a way better cook than me." Tris laughs as she follows Shauna to the living room.

"Tris!" Marlene and Christina say as she steps into the room. She is greeted by her friends, setting her presents down just in time to be wrapped up in hugs.

"Now we're just waiting for Lynn," Shauna says, taking a seat next to Zeke on the love-seat.

"Surprise, surprise," Marlene says sarcastically, causing the other girls to laugh. Marlene sits back down next to her boyfriend, Uriah.

"Hey, Tris!" Uriah stands up to greet Tris. She goes for a handshake, but he enthusiastically wraps her in a bear hug.

"Whoa!" Tris laughs at the large man. "Hi, Uriah."

He releases her with a big grin. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Yeah, um, work has been busy. It's great to see you again."

"Oh! And this is my boyfriend, Zeke," Shauna says from behind Tris.

Tris turns and smiles at the man whom Shauna could talk about for hours. She notices how much his younger brother, Uriah, resembles him as she shakes his hand. "It's very nice to finally meet you. Thank you so much for having me over."

Zeke nods. "You're always welcome. Have you met my friend, Tobias?" Tris looks to Zeke's left where he gestures to a man who stands.

Tris is shocked to see the familiar face. He is the same man who came to the shop late on Sunday, searching for a purse. She hasn't forgotten his face, or the sound of his voice. She feels warmth on her cheeks as she smiles shyly at him. "Yes, actually I have."

"Oh!" Shauna says. "That's great! How'd you two meet?"

"She helped me find the purse I bought for my sister," Tobias tells Shauna as he gives Tris a warm smile.

"And she bent Sofia's rules to do it," Christina chimes in.

Tobias' eyes don't leave Tris' as he speaks. "Thank you for that, again." Tris just gives him a small nod and a smile.

"You should all sit down; the food will be ready soon," Zeke says, breaking the eye contact between Tris and Tobias. Everybody mumbles their agreements and sits as Zeke returns to the kitchen.

Tris looks around and finds the only open seat is on the couch next to Tobias. She takes a deep breath and sits down. It's impossible for her to ignore each and every point of contact their bodies make on the crowded sofa.

"So," Marlene says. "What's new?"

"Emily wanted me to invite you all to her birthday party," Tobias says. Tris remembers the feeling she felt when she first heard him speak, like his sound waves were hitting her, but now she really can feel the vibrations from his deep voice as he speaks. She stops thinking of his voice long enough to think about what he just said. She wonders who Emily is, and with despair, assumes that she is his girlfriend. _Damn, and they have a kid together_ , she thinks, looking down at the bracelet on his wrist. It's a colorful mix of string and beads with letters on them, spelling out his name.

"Aw!" Christina gushes.

"When's the party?" Shauna asks, taking her phone out.

"January 27th," Tobias says. "It's a Saturday." Everybody begins taking their phones out and checking their work schedules. Tris sits there awkwardly; surely she isn't invited to the party.

"I'm free," Shauna says.

"Me too," Will adds. "Unless my new job is the kind that just throws work at you without prior notice."

"I'll be there," Uriah chimes in. "What does she want for her birthday?"

Tobias thinks for a minute, looking down at the bracelet she made him as if the answer lies there. "She wants dolls, a pony, shoes, a doll house, a toy oven," he pauses for a moment as he thinks of the list in his head. "Coloring books and stuff, dresses, candy… there is more, but I can't remember." Tris realizes that Emily must be his daughter, and not his girlfriend, but that only makes her feel worse.

"What is Talia getting her?" Marlene asks. Tris wonders who Talia could be. _That must be his girlfriend. Or maybe it's his wife and he just doesn't wear a ring._

"I have no idea," Tobias says. "I probably should have asked her."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'll be getting her a pony," Uriah says with a grin.

"Her mother would kill you," Shauna says seriously.

"But Emily wants one," Uriah says.

"And I want my own jet, but it doesn't mean I know how to fly. Em doesn't know how to ride a horse."

"Fine, what if I bought her horseback riding lessons?" Uriah suggests.

"That's actually a really good idea," Tobias says.

"Can we split that gift with you?" Will asks.

"That's a good idea. It's probably not cheap," Marlene agrees.

"She'll be five, right?" Shauna asks. Tobias nods in response. Now Tris finds herself incredibly confused. If his daughter is five, he must have had her at a pretty young age. He doesn't look any older than Zeke and Shauna, who are just 25.

The group keeps discussing gifts for Emily until Zeke yells from the kitchen that it's time to eat. They all flood into the dining room, admiring the work Zeke has done.

Finally, they're all seated with full plates, ready to begin. "Merry Christmas, and dig in!" Zeke says, and they do just that.

Tris finds herself sitting directly across the table from Tobias, and she blushes as she makes accidental eye contact with him, his small smile bringing one to her as well. Everybody around them begins chatting about other things that she doesn't relate to. They seem to be a really close group of friends, and this is the first year she doesn't have family to celebrate with, so Shauna didn't hesitate to invite her.

"So, Tris," she hears his deep, already familiar voice. She looks up and his dark eyes are like magnets to hers. "How long have you known Shauna?"'

"I met her two years ago when I started working at _Sofia's_ ," she explains. "We've been good friends ever since." A smile crosses Tobias' face. "How about you?"

"I've been friends with Zeke for as long as I can remember, and our sophomore year of high school, he finally built up the courage to ask Shauna out."

Tris knows that this guy has a girlfriend and a child, but she can't help the way she loses herself in his stare. "Are you spending tomorrow with family?" she blurts, her curiosity apparently taking control over her actions rather than her logic.

Her random question doesn't seem to bother him. "Yeah. I've got a sister, Talia, which is who the purse is for." Tris tries not to make her relief too plain on her face. She feels so stupid now. "And then there is Emily, my niece."

Tris lets a smile cover her face. "That's so nice," she says, genuine happiness in her voice – for him and for her.

"What about you?" he asks curiously.

"I… I used to… I used to have a family," she says quietly, looking down at her plate. "My parents and my brother died almost a year ago."

"I'm so sorry, Tris," Tobias says. He has the urge to hold her hand where it rests on the table, but he doesn't reach for it. Something about this stranger across from him pulls him in – a bizarre sensation puts his stomach at unease, but he doesn't recognize the foreign sensation.

She takes a deep breath and forces a small smile. "It's okay." _I shouldn't have asked about your family without knowing you'd ask about mine_ , she thinks, but doesn't say. _Too bad I'm too damn nosy_ , she mentally scolds herself. Of course he'd reciprocate, _that's what normal people do!_

Tobias clears his throat, unsuccessfully willing the feeling in his stomach to disappear. "So, what do you do outside of working?"

"Well, I also substitute teach," she says with a half embarrassed-half proud smile.

Tobias raises an eyebrow at that. "Really? My sister teaches elementary." He wonders if they know each other.

"Really? What's her last name?" Tris asks, thinking, but no 'Talia' comes to mind.

"Smyth."

She shakes her head. "I mostly teach in the middle and high school. I wanted to be a full time middle school teacher, but I dropped out of school when… because of the accident last year."

"Tris-"

She takes a breath and forces a smile. "No, it's okay." A sad look crosses over Tobias' face, but he nods. "What do you do for work?"

"I work for the Chicago PD," he says, happy to leave the somber topic.

"Are you an officer?"

"Yes and no," he shakes his head as small, amused smile crosses his face. His eyes flit to Uriah, a younger cop, and back to her. "I'm a detective."

Tris' fork is no longer even in her hand as she leans forward on the table. "What kind of cases do you investigate?"

He tries his best to make any trace of humor disappear from his expression, but he doesn't know how successful he is. "I can't tell you that."

Tris frowns, seeing that he is serious. "What can you tell me?"

He sighs. He actually doesn't like this part of his job, being so secretive, especially now, when he's trying to impress the curious, blue-eyed girl in front of him. "All I can really tell you right now is that I'm a detective with the Chicago PD."

She gives up and tries a different approach – because clearly that is a locked door; his dark blue eyes make that clear. "What do you do for fun then?"

"I work with Zeke at _Dauntless_ a couple times a week." A small frown forms between her brows. "It's a fitness center," he explains, seeing her confusion. "Zeke and I are both personal trainers. That's his full-time job, but it's more of a hobby for me." It's clear to Tris that he works out by the size of his arms. Not to mention she can see how defined his chest is by the shirt he is wearing. It's covering everything but his neck and a small triangle of the top of his chest, yet she can picture the smooth, defined, tan skin beneath it. She feels heat crawling up her neck so she looks down at her plate.

After she takes a small breath, she smiles and looks up. "That's really great, Tobias." He contains his smirk as he watches her light eyes – which he noticed grazed over every part of his currently visible body – divert to anywhere but on his own darker blue eyes. A small ounce of pride forms his grin as he realizes he managed to make a beautiful girl blush.

"So, how is your nursing program going Shauna?" Christina asks from next to Tris, pulling both Tris and Tobias from their small conversation.

An excited smile crosses Shauna's face. "It's been incredible. I'm so excited to just get out there and start working."

"Where do you think you'll work?" Marlene asks.

"I was thinking of applying to Amity Health Services. My grandmother was there before she died and I spent a lot of time there. It's what made me want to be a nurse," Shauna explains with a sad smile. Zeke grabs her hand from under the table and she looks at him with appreciation.

"I've heard good things about Amity," Marlene nods. "My aunt's best friend is there. Maybe you'll meet her."

Just then, the front door slams, startling most everyone at the table. "Where is everybody?" a female voice yells out.

"In here!" Shauna replies. A moment later, Lynn strolls into the dining room. "Nice of you to show up."

"I aim to please," Lynn says with a sarcastic smile. She sits down next to Marlene and immediately begins filling up a plate. "Oh, don't stop the riveting conversation for me." Shauna rolls her eyes at her sister, but takes her suggestion nonetheless.

Tris loses interest in the conversation that falls between Shauna, Will, and Marlene about medical related employment opportunities. She glances at Tobias and finds his eyes already on her. "What?" she asks, not being able to stop the small curve of her lips.

"Nothing," he says quietly, his own smile forming. "You're just… never mind."

She frowns slightly, watching the tips of his ears turn a shade pinker than usual. "You can tell me," she urges him.

Tobias takes a deep breath. "You're beautiful." Once he says it, he's immediately glad he did. He watches her cheeks turn pink, her smile widen, and her eyes look down at her plate. He decides at that very moment that he fancies that blush, and he'd like to see it as much as possible.

"Thank you," she says, barely loud enough for him to hear. They don't talk exclusively much for the rest of dinner, and instead choose to participate in the group's discussion. Their eyes meet frequently, and shared smiles definitely aren't sparse.

When dinner is over, all of the girls volunteer to help clean up – except Lynn, who tells the group she has something to do before dashing out of the dining room. The girls in the kitchen set up an assembly line of sorts to get the dishes done as quickly as possible.

"What was all that?" Christina asks Tris as she dries a plate.

Tris averts her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, missy. I saw all those looks between you and Tobias. Care to explain?"

"There's really nothing to explain," Tris shrugs.

Shauna scoffs from the other side of Christina. "Yeah, right. I've never seen Tobias like that."

"Like what?" Tris asks.

"Showing a girl attention," Shauna laughs. "That man is like a brick wall without a single window when girls are around."

"Not when _Tris_ is around," Christina says, bumping her hip against Tris'.

"So it would seem," Shauna says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"What were you guys talking about?"

Tris shrugs. "Nothing major. Just what we do for work."

"That's why you were blushing," Marlene chimes in. Tris feels like putting her head under the stream of water falling onto her soapy hands.

"Ah," Shauna nods. "He was telling you how he works out, huh?" Tris tries to stop the warm pink from coloring her skin, but it's a hopeless attempt. The other three girls quietly squeal as Tris mentally loathes her cheeks.

"Oh, stop!" Tris says. "I can't help it," she admits. "Have you _seen_ him?"

"Mm, those arms," Marlene says. "Don't tell Uriah, but I do love Tobias' arms."

"I've seen him shirtless," Shauna brags. "At a pool party when we were seventeen. I'll bet he looks even better now." Tris wonders if they are trying to get her face to start on fire by all the heat buildup there.

"I've never been so lucky," Christina says. "I love Will, but I sometimes wish I had a bit more to grab on to."

"Oh my God," Tris says, completely hanging her head.

"Oh, that's not how I meant it!" They all start laughing loudly at their own banter, alarming the guys in the other room.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Will asks.

"Girl stuff," Zeke and Tobias say at the same time. They tap the necks of their beer bottles together, and take a celebratory sip at their unpracticed synchronization.

"I swear you two are secretly lovers," Uriah says, shaking his head. "Disgusting."

Finally, the dishes are done and the girls join the guys in the living room. "Should we open presents?" Lynn asks, entering the room… suspiciously just missing the dishes.

Shauna takes a second to glare at her sister before affirming. Tris feels a little bad that she didn't get anything for any of the guys, but she didn't know half of them up until a few hours ago. They distribute the presents by recipient and Tris finds herself with four gifts in front of her.

They decide to end with the hosts of the party and begin with the newcomer: Tris. She opens a perfume set from Marlene, a phone case from _Sofia's_ that she's been thinking about buying for herself from Shauna, a new wallet from Christina, and a ton of her favorite chocolate from Lynn. After she thanks everybody, Marlene and Uriah begin opening their gifts. They go around the room and Tris watches as Tobias unwraps his pile of gifs. He gets a new watch from Shauna and Zeke, and a few other things, but what stands out is the full sized fire extinguisher he gets from Uriah.

"What the hell?" he asks lifting up the bright red canister.

"Thought you might need that for the next time I'm _fire!_ " Uriah yells as he bursts into hysteria. Tobias can't help his laugher as he shakes his head.

"I don't get it," Christina says.

"Uriah was training for a charity race, and he bet Tobias 100 bucks that he could beat him in a race," Zeke explains.

"No way! Uriah won?" Christina asks in complete shock.

"Smoked his ass to last Saturday!" Uriah exclaims proudly. "Poor boy didn't even know what hit him."

"If you were in the ring with him, you wouldn't know what hit _you_ , so get off your high horse, Uri," Zeke tells his younger brother.

"Oh, shut up, Ezekiel. Don't be so jealous that I beat your lover boy."

Tobias puts both his hands up. "It's fine. I can lose," he says calmly, "once in a while."

The group continues opening gifts until they are finally at the end of the line. Zeke rudely goes before Shauna, earning him a brief glare. As soon as Zeke finishes, Shauna begins opening her presents. She goes through them pretty quickly, not getting anything strange. After she opens her last gift, she looks to her right, fully intent on aggressively asking her boyfriend why he didn't get her a Christmas gift. But when she looks at him, her anger dissolves completely and her mouth falls open, her hands covering it.

Zeke kneels on one knee in front of her, a small black box with and even smaller, festive red bow on top of it. "Shauna Maria Kies," he begins. There is a simultaneous, high-pitched "awww!" from the other girls in the room, but the couple doesn't seem to notice that at all. "I have loved you since eighth grade, and I have had the honor of being with you for nearly a decade. You make me a better brother, son, friend, and man, and without you I fear I'd turn out like Uriah."

"Hey!" A few chuckles sound in the room and Shauna laughs lightly through her tears.

"And for nearly a decade I have known that I want to spend forever with you and only you. I promise to love you until the end of forever. Will you marry me?" The whole room is perfectly silent for a single second.

"Yes," Shauna says. Zeke immediately stands up, lifts her into his arms and spins her. They share a sweet kiss as all hell breaks loose. Girls start crying and guys start sighing as they watch their friend and brother surrender the fight.

The couple sits down and Zeke slides the diamond ring onto Shauna's left ring finger. She admires it before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him heavily. Clapping and whooping fill the room in celebration of the engagement. "I love you," Shauna says, holding her fiancé close.

 **Author's Note: Always a special place in my heart for fluff… and Uriah being immature…  
Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! Earlier, I sort of hit a writer's block in this chapter, and I went to go read your reviews and I couldn't see new ones! I was so sad, but then they randomly reappeared… and I became inspired to write this longer chapter! You have no idea how much they mean.  
-GerdyGertha**


	4. Chapter 4: Pressure and Love

**Previously (Worry and Diamonds)…** _Tris ventured to Shauna and Zeke's house for a Christmas Eve party. She was shocked to see Tobias, the man she helped find a purse for, at the party. Tobias invited the group to a birthday party for a girl named Emily, and Tris realized with despair that that must be his daughter. Later, she asked him about his family, and he told her that Emily is his niece and Talia is his sister. Relieved, Tris let herself flirt across the table with Tobias as they enjoyed their meal. After opening presents, Zeke proposed to Shauna, and she said yes._

 **Chapter 4: Pressure and Love**

After the party yesterday at Zeke and Shauna's, Tobias is eager to see his sister and niece. He carefully balances the stack of gifts in the backseat of his car. Ninety percent of them are for Emily, but he thinks that's just how it should be. He drives to his sister's house, taking turns with extra care, and arrives just in time to help with brunch. Christmas brunch has always been more of a tradition in their family, rather than Christmas dinner. Their mother's favorite meal was always brunch, so that's what they had. It was always supreme in comparison to the special meal their father had in mind: the absence of one at all.

He makes two trips into the house with too many gifts to make just one. As he walks in for the second time, he hears a tiny pair of feet running. They get louder and louder until he feels a collision with his legs.

"Uncle Tobias!" Emily squeals. Tobias nearly drops the gifts stacked up in his arms, but he somehow manages to keep them steady.

"Hey, Emily!" he says, his voice muffled from behind the pile. "Want to help me out a little?" She giggles as she begins taking smaller presents from him and stuffing them under the Christmas tree.

Finally, the two finish unloading, and Tobias sits down on the couch with Emily on his lap. "Where's your mom, kid?"

"At the store," she says. "She was yelling before she left 'cause she forgot to get eggs or something."

"Where's your dad?"

"Kitchen. Mom told him he had to make the pancakes." Tobias doesn't get a chance to respond before Emily is speaking again. "All those presents for me, uncle Tobias? What'd ya get me? You can tell me. I won't tell mom. What's in the big one? How come some of them are so small? Are they _all_ for me?"

"Hey, hey!" he says frantically, clamping a hand over her mouth, causing her to let out a muffled laugh. "One question at a time!"

He drops his hand and she laughs hysterically at him. "Sorry, uncle. Want to see what Santa gave me in my sock?"

"In your _stocking_?" he asks. She ignores him as she jumps off of his lap and runs towards the bright red stocking with her name embroidered on it.

She begins pulling out little toys and candies, and explaining them all to him in great detail. He is relieved when he hears the front door open and then close. "I'm home!" Talia yells out.

"Come on," Tobias says, picking Emily up and throwing her over his shoulder. She begins laughing and pounding her fists on his back, but he ignores her and continues walking into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Talia greets Tobias as he steps in the room with her daughter slung over his back. She gives him a half hug, being careful not to be kicked in the face by a squirming Emily.

"How are you?" he asks her.

"Good, good! How are you? I haven't heard from you in a couple days."

Tobias shrugs. "Work has been busy." His older sister eyes him suspiciously, but doesn't comment further. "Need any help in here?"

"Yeah, could you help John with the potatoes?"

Tobias puts Emily down and goes to his brother-in-law at the stove. "How have you been?"

John sighs. "Work has been rough. People forget that Christmas lights and pine needles are a deadly combination."

"Yes, they do," Tobias agrees as he washes his hands.

"The station has been swamped. We lost a guy last week down at the Jefferson building fire."

Tobias stops and looks his brother-in-law in the eye. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

John shrugs, as though it's no big deal, but Tobias sees right past the façade. "It's the risk of the job."

Cooking goes fairly quietly after that. They make small talk, but it's difficult because John doesn't like to talk about his work, and Tobias can't. They settle on talking mostly about Emily and random house projects.

John has always been a role model to Tobias. When he and Talia first started dating, Tobias was just a freshman. John and Talia had been set up by their friends to go to prom, but actually ended up really liking each other. From then on, it wasn't just Talia, or just John. They were always together. At first, Tobias was wary of the new guy. Thanks to their father being a total piece of shit to Tobias, Talia, and their mother, Tobias has always been very protective of Talia, even though she is three years older. When John came along, Tobias immediately sat down with him. John never talked down to Tobias or made him feel like 'Talia's little brother,' because that's never what he was. The respect John treated Tobias with did not go unnoticed. Tobias quickly came to respect and appreciate John. He quickly realized John was a good guy with good intentions, and had nothing but respect for Talia. Nothing has changed since then. John has become an older brother figure to Tobias, and Tobias was thrilled when they got married.

"Daddy, when is food done?" John turns to see his daughter standing on her toes looking into a pot on the stove.

"Ten minutes. Why don't you help mom set the table?"

"Okay, daddy." Tobias watches as John retrieves plates from the cabinets and carefully hands them to her. She concentrates on the plates as she carefully brings them into the dining room.

"She's such a great kid," John says, a proud smile on his face.

"Yes, she is," Talia says, walking into the room. "Why don't you hand me some cups, and I'll help her out."

Fifteen minutes later, brunch is served. The meal starts in relative quiet as everybody is eating, but silence doesn't last long with a curious four year-old.

"Uncle Tobias, I have question." Emily says.

"Of course," Tobias says, giving her his full attention.

"When you gonna give me an aunty?" Tobias feels his jaw go slack, and John and Talia burst into laughter. Emily's face remains curious, and Tobias realizes that she is completely serious.

"Uh…" he coughs a bit to clear his throat of absolutely nothing. "I don't know."

"But you know everything," she says.

"Nobody knows _everything_ , Em. I don't know when I'll… give you an aunt."

"You know," Talia says. "I'm curious about it, too, Tobias." Tobias glares at his sister; he sees the devious-sibling twinkle in her eye.

"That's up to the universe," Tobias says.

Emily lets out a heavy, exhausted sigh. The sigh of someone who has just worked a long day, plus overtime, only to find out somebody ate the sandwich they've been looking forward to. Emily throws her head back and looks up to the ceiling, and folds her hands on top of the table. "Universe, please give my uncle a girlfriend." Tobias knows his mouth is hanging open, but for some reason he is unable to close it. "Sometimes I think he lonely when Zeke is doin' other stuff. Please give my uncle a girlfriend." Emily finishes her little prayer to the universe and looks at her uncle. "I made the universe go faster!"

Tobias has no words, but leave it to his older sister to fill the silence. "Hopefully the universe will give uncle Tobias a girlfriend. I agree with you, Emily. I think he needs one, too."

"For your information, I met a girl," Tobias blurts out. He knows his face is red, but he refuses to back down now.

Three faces turn and look at him: two with raised eyebrows and one with a huge grin. "Really?!" Emily squeals. "Is she nice? Is she pretty? What color hair does she have? Is she short like mommy? Does she like dogs? What's her name? Will she be my aunty? Does she have babies? What's her favorite color? Do you think she'll like me?"

Tobias sighs heavily. "I don't know, Em. I just met her."

Emily's face falls about one degree. "But you love her, right? Can I meet her? Call her, uncle Tobias!"

Tobias glares at his sister before turning to Emily again. "I do like her. If I get to know her, I'll ask her if she wants to meet you. She is very nice and I think she'd like you a lot."

Emily's eyes become impossibly wider. "I can't wait until I have an aunty!"

Tobias thinks about Tris someday filling that role, but he quickly comes to the realization that he doesn't know her nearly well enough to picture her in that place. He knows he wants to know her, though. The image of her smile and blush is burned into the back of his eyelids, and he can't help smiling at the thought. "Maybe, Emily. We'll see."

* * *

Having nothing to do, and no one special to spend Christmas Day with, Tris decides to honor her family in a different way. She drives downtown to the soup kitchen, a place her mother spent a large amount of her time.

"Beatrice, Merry Christmas!" Cookie greets her as she walks in. Tris has no idea what the old woman's name really is, because everybody calls her Cookie. Cookie has watched Tris grow up, and loves her like a daughter. Tris beams at Cookie, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. Cookie reminds her of her mother so much. They were good friends since before Tris' parents were even married, so being with Cookie brings up an immeasurable amount of memories.

"Hi, Cookie. Merry Christmas!" Tris says as she is folded into Cookie's open arms. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in so long."

Cookie puts each of her hands on either side of Tris' face. "You don't worry about this old place, dear. I'm just happy you're here now."

Tris smiles the most genuine smile she's given in a long time. "Where do you want me?"

Tris spends the entire day helping cook and serve a full Christmas dinner to whoever comes into the dining hall. Cookie started up this place nearly sixty years ago. It was an old restaurant that was going out of business. Cookie bought it and turned it into the soup kitchen. They serve the hungry people of Chicago for absolutely no cost. Christmas day is one of the busiest days, with their stock of food nearly cleaning out. They operate completely on donations from local citizens and grocers, so it's not hard for the pile to deplete quickly.

When the day is done and everything has been scrubbed clean, ready for breakfast tomorrow, Tris and Cookie sit down with mugs of hot chocolate.

"How are you holding up, dear?" Cookie asks.

Tris forces a smile. "It's been a tough year, but I'm okay."

"Your mother would be very proud of you, you know." Cookie rests her wrinkled hand on Tris'. The tiny gesture brings tears to Tris' eyes. "She started coming here during her freshman year of college. She was so timid her first times here. She was scared to mess something up or do something wrong," Cookie says with a gentle laugh. "Always so careful, Natalie was. I remember the first time she brought your father with her. He was even shyer than she was! We had a good time laughing at him. Did you know that _I_ am the one who taught your father how to make mashed potatoes?"

Tris lets out a laugh through her tears. "I think I've heard that story, yes."

Cookie laughs. "He had no idea what he was doing! Poor boy didn't know that the potatoes have to be boiled before you can go on smashing them. He tried to use a whisk to do it. Can you believe it?" Tris laughed and nodded. Her father was worse in the kitchen than anybody she knew. "And I remember when your mother showed up with a big ol' belly. Your brother was in this kitchen before he was born! And so were you!" Tris smiled as she watched memories come back to Cookie. "Before you could walk, you were in this kitchen, strapped to your mother or your father's back."

They spent hours talking and laughing, their mugs long empty. Finally, when it was no longer Christmas day, Cookie and Tris decided to part ways.

"You come back here soon, dear," Cookie says as they put on their coats.

"I will," Tris promises.

A smile crosses Cookies face. "And bring a handsome boy with you next time."

Tris eyes go wide and red crosses her cheeks. "I…"

Cookie laughs loudly. "I'm kidding, dear! Kidding, kidding." Tris' expression slowly goes back to normal. "Your parents loved you more than anything in the world, dear. I know they are looking down at you with pride."

"Thank you, Cookie," Tris says. "For everything."

Cookie smiles and wraps Tris up in a tight hug. "Thank you, too. This day was successful because of your help."

During the drive home, Tris lets herself think of her family. _Really_ think. She thinks of all the memories, the ups and downs. She lets herself see her mother's hair and green eyes, the ones she shared with her brother. She sees the eyes of her father, the same ones she sees in the mirror every day. She can see the face that rarely smiled, yet was always loving and very proud. She knows she'll never see them again, but someday she'll be with them, and that's enough for now.

 **Author's Note: Sorry I've been so busy. I have finals this week, wish me luck… I have to let you guys know of two awesome stories first, though.**

 _ **When Two Paths Collide**_ **by FourTrisBound – I beta for her, and it's a great story. Love her. Go check out her story.**

 _ **Defective**_ **by TogetherWeCanFly – it's a Divergent parody and it's honestly the funniest parody I've ever read. It has me cracking up like a 400 year-old sidewalk. Go check it out.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I agree with many requests that FourTris should happen slowly.  
Leave me a review with your thoughts and opinions; all of your advice has been gold so far. Love you all!  
-GerdyGertha**


	5. Chapter 5: Homes and Comfort Zones

**Previously (Pressure and Love)…** _Tobias spent Christmas day with his sister, Talia, his brother-in-law, John, and their daughter, Emily. Emily was excited to see Tobias, and bombarded him with questions concerning the large amount of gifts he brought into their home. As they sat down to their traditional Christmas brunch, Emily asked her uncle,_ "When you gonna give me an aunty?" _The almost-five-year-old even went as far as to fold her hands and beg the universe to give her uncle a girlfriend. With the pressure from both his niece and his sister, Tobias blurted that he had met a girl. He came to the realization that he doesn't know Tris well at all, but that he'd really like to.  
Tris, having no family to spend the holiday with, volunteered at the soup kitchen. She spent the day with an elderly woman called Cookie, whom her mother was very good friends with, and who watched Tris grow up. Tris and Cookie reminisced about old times; Cookie told Tris stories about Tris' family from before and after Tris was born. For the first time in a long time, Tris found herself smiling genuinely and allowing herself to really think about her family._

 **Chapter 5: Homes and Comfort Zones**

With Christmas past, Tris is set to return to work. She doesn't have to work until noon, so her goal is to spend her morning sleeping in. She's never really been one to sleep into the late morning, so she finds herself climbing out of bed at 9.

She spends her free time cleaning her apartment, though there isn't really anything to clean. She's always kept her place tidy, a value instilled by her parents. They always said that neglecting a mess is selfish, and that it would make her look disrespectful to anyone who saw her sloppiness. If she is being honest, the sterile environment of her apartment makes her a bit sad. Christina's apartment is completely and totally _her_. She has clothing draped over every surface, magazines stuffed into little crevices, wrappers from snacks and takeout left on tables, cups and mugs alongside them, and shoes _everywhere_. Tris knows her parents would have been appalled by the mess, but Tris thinks it's kind of nice. It makes Christina's place feel like more of a home than a house, and Tris wants some of that in her life. She needs that comfort.

Tris stands in the center of her living room and looks around. She wonders what she could do to make it look like somebody actually _lives_ in her apartment. She takes her oversized sweatshirt off and throws it onto the plush chair next to the large window that gives nothing but a view of the neighboring building's brick exterior.

"There," she says to herself. She sighs and shakes her head. A sweatshirt thrown onto a chair in an otherwise clean apartment looks ridiculous. She shakes her head again and picks it up, set on returning it to its hanger in the closet.

She eats a simple lunch, and then decides to just go into work early. If Sofia doesn't need her to do anything, at least she can hang out with Christina.

When she arrives, she finds a line of customers with hands full of gift receipts and gifts. She knows from past experience that most of them will be exchanges for different sizes or colors, but quite a few will be unwanted gifts. She immediately dives into the chaos, taking the register next to Christina. Christina doesn't even notice her as she tries to calm a woman down. Tris helps a customer exchange a purse for a different color, and she smiles to herself at the simple reminder of the tall, blue-eyed man that hasn't been far from the front of her mind since she met him.

"Have a nice day," Tris says as the woman takes her new bag and leaves with a polite smile.

There is a moment of calm, with no one at the registers. Christina takes a large drink from her water bottle before turning to Tris. "So, let's talk about what was happening on Christmas Eve."

Tris sighs heavily because she knew this was coming. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

After Emily went to sleep last night, Talia, John, and Tobias stayed up until past two in the morning, and drinking a bit. Tobias spent Christmas night on their couch after a few too many. He is awoken by something poking his cheek, but he doesn't need to open his eyes to know exactly what it is. He pretends to be soundly asleep as he figures out the rhythm Emily is stabbing her finger into his cheek at. Just in time for her finger to poke him again, he takes a deep breath and puffs his cheeks out. She laughs loudly at the unexpected action by her 'sleeping' uncle.

"What are you doing, kid?" he asks.

"Wakin' you up! Mom and daddy are sleeping, and I'm hungry," she says, tugging on his arm.

He yawns as he sits up. "What would you like to eat then?"

Talia and John emerge from their bedroom twenty minutes later, dragged out of bed by the smell of pancakes and bacon. They enter the kitchen just in time to find Tobias pouring syrup on a pancake shaped like a bear in front of Emily.

"Look, mom! Look what uncle Tobias made me!" Emily exclaims. Talia sinks down in the chair next to Emily.

"That's very cute, sweetie," she says. She rubs her temples and yawns as John sets a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. She looks at him graciously, and he smirks in response.

Tobias sets plates of food down for Talia and John before serving himself. Last night, Tobias drank enough where he didn't feel comfortable driving, but he didn't drink to the point of waking up with a hangover like Talia and John are facing. Luckily for them, Emily is too busy stuffing her face full of pancake to do much talking. Tobias watches with amusement as Talia rubs her temples.

Thanks to the quiet, and the sober mind, Tobias has a moment to let his mind wander. The conversation last night was random, going from politics to aliens and everything in between. At one point, Tobias told them about Tris. He didn't have much to tell, but he did express his desire to get to know her. He admitted to them that he wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. Talia suggested that he visit her at work and ask for her number in person.

So, he decided that when breakfast was done, he'd head to the strip mall that she works in, and cross his fingers that she is working today.

Tobias pulls into a spot, quite far from the door because the lot is so full, and pauses before he steps out of his car. Is he really going to do this? What if she doesn't want to see him? What if she's too busy to talk anyways? He'd have to just turn around and leave. That'd be embarrassing. The little pep talk his sister gave him last night buzzes in his mind, _Tobias, you should put yourself out there. If you've finally met a girl that makes you smile, don't lose her._

He runs his hand through his hair, takes a deep breath, and opens the car door. Every step he takes is another second for his anxiety to increase. He can't remember a time he was so nervous to see a girl – and she may not even be there today! _God, what if she's not even there?_ What would a guy like him be doing in a woman's store, obviously not buying a Christmas present. _Birthday… a birthday present._

Before he knows it, he's at the door. He takes one more deep breath through his nose, the cold air filling his lungs, and steps inside. He enters the store, and immediately notices how different it is full of bustling people and bright lights. He thinks he liked it better when he was here the first time. It was quiet, the lights weren't quite so harsh, and he wasn't being bumped into by random people.

He looks around, but doesn't see her. Finally he looks to the register and spots her, deep in conversation with Christina. He's surprised to see no line, but it only increases his nerves as he walks her way.

A customer in line falls into Tris' peripheral vision, and she promptly stops discussing her potential feelings for Tobias to Christina just in time to see… _him_. She is very surprised to find him there, standing tall in a dark leather jacket, his hands shoved deep into the pockets. He looks kind of nervous, and she worries that perhaps he heard their conversation. She feels heat rise to her cheeks, but smiles at him anyway.

"Hi," she says shyly. She works with people all day, and this isn't a place that she is very shy – but then again, _he_ isn't just another customer.

"Uh, hi," he says, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"What are you, um… Is there something wrong with the bag?" Tris can feel Christina's eyes on her, and she is happy when a customer approaches her register. She watches Tobias inhale, and then he smiles.

"No, my sister loves it. I actually came to see you." Tobias wonders how he manages to sound so confident when he feels so unsure.

Tris raises an eyebrow, and a small smile curves her lips. "Oh?"

Tobias bets that if he stuck his hand out, it'd be shaking as though he had ten cups of coffee. "Yeah. I would have called, but I never got your number." He leans against the counter, as Tris leans on her register. He watches her light blue-gray eyes search his, but for what, he isn't sure.

She breaks eye contact and reaches down for a post-it and a pen. She scribbles her number, suddenly insecure about her handwriting, and hands it to him. He smiles at her scrawl, and sticks the neon paper in his jacket pocket.

"Thank you," he says. She smiles at him, and nods. "This place looks a little different in the daytime."

Tris laughs, "Yeah, a little more wild. I love it here though."

"Tris!" a woman's voice says suddenly, startling the pair. "Look at miss Christina's line, what are you doing?"

Tris finally pays attention to something other than the man in front of her and notices that Christina's line has gotten quite long. "I'm sorry, Sofia."

Sofia waves her off and looks at Tobias. "You don't look like you need to return a dress."

Tobias laughs, "No, I don't."

Sofia taps her pen on her chin as her eyes squint. "If I had a dollar to bet, I'd say you are the man that miss Tris changed my store hours for."

"Yeah, that's me." He briefly looks to Tris, hoping he didn't get her in trouble… twice. She has a small smile on her face though, so he thinks not.

"Hmm, fine. Wrap it up dear," Sofia tells Tris before disappearing in the back again.

"I'm sorry," Tris says.

"No, I'm sorry. I should go. I don't want to get you into any more trouble."

Tris laughs lightly – a sound Tobias quite likes. "No, she's not really upset."

Tobias glances behind him at the lines forming. "I will let you get back to work. Can I call you later?"

Tris smiles. "I get off at eight."

"Have a good day, Tris."

"You too, Tobias." He lingers a moment longer, his eyes not wanted to release her, before he finally turns. Tris watches him walk out, barely hearing the woman explaining her predicament in front of her.

As Tobias walks back to his car, he can't wipe the giant grin off his face. The note in his pocket works like a hand warmer that heats his whole body. As soon as he gets into his car, he programs her number into his cell phone. Seeing her name there just makes it more impossible for him to stop smiling.

He's about to pull out of his spot when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. It's a text message from his sister.

 _Talia_ : _Did you do it?_

 _Tobias: I got her number._

 _Talia: Attaboy. I'll make sure I tell Emily!_

 _Tobias: Great…_

 _Talia: ;)_

He laughs at his sister before heading towards the station, surely the captain will understand why he's twenty minutes late…

 **Author's Note: I apologize for being so absent. I thought life would calm down after exams: I was wrong.** _ **Thank you**_ **for well wishes for my finals; I passed! Woo!  
This chapter is short, but I think it was a necessary step. I know we didn't learn a lot, but that's okay. We will!  
Leave me a review and let me know your thoughts and opinions. I'm always eager to hear your feedback, and they put me in such a good mood!  
-GerdyGertha**

 **P.S. That new Allegiant trailer, oh my god. Theo James is reason for breathing – to put it lightly.**


	6. Chapter 6: Orders and Liquid Confidence

**Previously (Homes and Comfort Zones)…** _Tris woke up the day after Christmas and cleaned her already clean apartment before her shift at work. She found that she desires the comfort of a home more than she wants a perfectly tidy apartment. A bit frustrated with her environment, she left to go to work early. When she arrived, she found the place busy and immediately began helping her co-workers.  
Tobias woke up in his sister's house to his niece poking his cheek to wake him. He made breakfast for her and her parents before leaving. After a pep talk from his sister, he went to _Sofia's _in hopes that Tris was working. He found her there and she gave him her phone number. He promised to call her when she gets off of work at eight. After Tobias told his eager sister that he got Tris' number, he started towards work._

 **Chapter 6: Orders and Liquid Confidence**

Tobias sits at his desk at the Chicago Police Department, rubbing his temples. He looks over the female victim's toxicology report, wondering why the suspect injected the victim with a mock flu virus used for testing on rats. He sighs just as there is a knock on his door.

"Come in," he says, closing the file.

Peter Hayes, the new rookie detective from the smaller precinct outside of town strolls in. He sits down on the chair in front of Tobias' desk and crosses his leg. "So, find anything out?" Unfortunately, Peter was assigned to work on the case by order of the captain, so Tobias is stuck with him.

"Nothing major," Tobias says. He opens the file again, basically ignoring the younger detective.

"Want to hear my thoughts on the rat poison?" Peter asks. The sound of him chomping on his gum makes Tobias' headache worse.

"It's not rat poison, it's a mock flu virus," Tobias grumbles. He knows he shouldn't treat Hayes like a kid, but it's difficult when he acts like one.

"Whatever. I think the guy gave it to our vic because he wanted to make her think she was sick so that she'd go to the doc and he could kill her there."

Tobias' eyes leave his papers to look at the strange, green shade of Peter's. The younger man wears a proud smirk, which only irritates the superior detective. "First of all, don't assume the gender of any suspect without evidence. Second, we ruled that out because the victim with already dead when she was injected. Did you even read the files, Hayes?"

Peter's jaw opens and quickly closes. "Duh."

"Come back when you have something solid." Peter rolls his eyes and leaves before Tobias can say anything more. Tobias leans back in his chair and rubs his hand over his face.

"I need real detectives," he mumbles to himself. His cell phone rings and he looks at the caller ID: the medical examiner. "Eaton."

"We found DNA under the victim's fingernails, detective," Rhonda, the medical examiner says immediately. She's worked closely with Tobias for about a year, and knows he prefers to do without the pleasantries. "I examined it and ran it. I found a match to a man named Adam Jones. I am forwarding his file to you now."

"Thanks, Rhonda," Tobias says. They both hang up and he clicks on his computer to open Adam Jones' file. Multiple accounts of physical harassment in public areas, speeding tickets, a five year sentence for carrying a weapon without a permit, but he got out a few months ago. Last known residence is an apartment building near the outside of town. It's not far from where their victim was found. With a heavy sigh, he leaves his office to gather Peter so he can canvas that building.

* * *

Tris sits down with a small salad with Shauna and Christina. As she pours some dressing over top, she barely listens to Christina and Shauna talk about Shauna's engagement and wedding plans. She only begins really listening when she hears a question directed at her.

"So, should I reserve a seat next to you for anyone at the reception, Tris?" Shauna asks, her tone teasing.

"Maybe for a certain man that came all the way to your work just to get your number?" Christina adds.

Tris rolls her eyes, but can't stop the smile that covers her face. "I told him to call me when I get off at eight." Both of her friends smirk, making a blush fall over Tris' face.

* * *

Tobias bangs his fist on the door of Adam Jones. "Chicago PD! Open up!" he yells. He listens carefully as he keeps his hands firmly on his gun. He thinks he hears movement inside, and then nothing. "Chicago PD! Open up!" he repeats. He hears a door slam on the inside, and watches as Hayes kicks the door, but it doesn't budge.

Tobias shakes his head and knocks the door down himself. They begin clearing rooms, but don't find Adam Jones. Tobias looks out the window to find Adam Jones going down the fire escape. "Go downstairs and get the car. I've got him!" Tobias yells as he goes through the open window, his fear of heights lost in his adrenaline.

He makes his way down the fire escape and lands on the ground just seconds after Adam Jones. He runs after him on foot, and quickly tackles him to the ground.

"Ah!" Adam Jones yells as his body makes contact with the icy pavement. "What the hell?"

Tobias pulls the man's arms behind him and cuffs him. He begins telling him his rights just before Peter pulls into the alley in the car.

Two hours later, Tobias finds himself at his desk again. Adam Jones had an alibi. He was working when the victim died, and the DNA under the victim's nails was explained by rough sex.

Tobias decides to call the CDC to ask where somebody could get a mock flu virus and why they'd want it, but the answers are too general to be of much help. Apparently, just about anyone could gain access to it. He looks through sellers of it, and finds a company in the city that sells to scientists. Tobias manages to get their records and runs each buyer through the system. He finds only one with a record.

He quickly finds that Vincent Fells used a fake medical license to buy the mock virus. With that evidence, he and Peter head to the same building the victim lived in.

* * *

Tris is happy when her long day is over. She takes off her nice shoes and puts on her fluffy boots before leaving _Sofia's._ A few inches of snow fell through the day, so she brushes her car off before she can leave for home. When she arrives at her apartment, she hangs her keys and coat up, leaves her wet boots by the door, and goes to her room to seek out more comfortable clothes. As she approaches her dresser, she finally notices the time. It's almost 8:45, and she completely forgot that Tobias was going to call her. She forgets about comfortable clothes and runs to where she left her phone on her kitchen counter. She quickly powers it up to find absolutely nothing. No missed calls, no texts. Nothing. She lets out a sad sigh and sets her phone back down, but not before turning the sound all the way up.

Tris goes back to her bedroom and changes into a pair of soft sleep pants and her favorite oversized sweatshirt. She goes to her kitchen, pours herself a glass of wine, and begins making pasta.

She is cleaning her dishes when her phone rings, and she nearly drops the pot in her hands to go answer it. She answers so quickly that she doesn't even look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tris?" a deep, masculine voice says from the other side, one she recognizes.

"Hi," she says, exhaling through a wide grin.

"I'm sorry I took so long. I was working," Tobias says, genuine apology clear in his voice.

"Don't apologize, Tobias," she says. "How was work?"

"Honestly? It was kind of frustrating."

"I suppose that is part of being a detective."

Tobias chuckles. "But the best part is solving a case."

"Were you successful today?" He hums an affirmative deep and low, and it warms her insides, even through the phone.

On the other side, miles away from her, Tobias hangs his suit up in his closet. "Do you work tomorrow?" he asks without really thinking about it. He has the next day off whenever he solves a case as a reward.

There is quiet on the other line, and he suddenly worries that he was being a bit too forward. He stops with his hand on his closest door, waiting through the silence. Just as he is about to apologize, he hears her soft voice. "That depends."

A smile finds his lips and he breathes again. "On?"

"Do you want me to work tomorrow?" Tris doesn't know why her voice sounds so steady when her hands are shaking so much. She blames it on the three glasses of wine.

Tobias smiles as he sits down on the edge of his bed. "I'd rather you let me pick you up for breakfast."

"2607 South White Avenue," she says smoothly. He repeats the address in his head, committing it to memory.

"I'll be there at nine," Tobias answers. He looks to the clock, 11:13 PM.

"I'll be waiting."

"Sleep well, Tris."

"You, too, Tobias." The line dies, and it takes Tris' breathing an entire minute to regulate. She looks into the deep color of her wine and smiles. "Thank you, liquid confidence." Satisfied, she dumps the remainder of her glass down the drain and heads to bed. She falls into a deep sleep, rocked to unconsciousness by the memory of him.

 **Please don't hate me for being gone for so long… I am very, very sorry. I knew this would happen, though, which is why I have the summaries at the beginning of the chapters. My life is hectic.**

 **I changed some dates, ages, and chapter titles, but most of you probably won't even notice. The only one that really matters is Emily. For some reason, I kept saying she is eight going on nine, but she acts more like a five year-old, and that's always how I pictured her. So I changed that. I model her after my five year-old cousin, so I have no idea why I kept calling her almost-nine. Anyways…**

 **I need some feedback: how do you like the detail of Tobias' work? Crime shows are a favorite of mine, so that's where I got the inspiration. If you guys aren't into it, I will make the workings of his job more vague, but either way it will be intentionally non-specific just as it is in this chapter to keep the story about Tris and Tobias and not the CPD... Just let me know!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review your thoughts and opinions! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!**

 **-GerdyGertha**


	7. Chapter 7: A Sticker and A Breakfast

**Previously (Orders and Liquid Confidence)…** _Tobias went to work on a case, but he was forced to work with a younger, immature detective named Peter Hayes. Meanwhile, Tris worked a full day – complete with teasing by her best friends about whether or not Shauna should reserve a seat for a date next to Tris at her wedding. After work, Tris went home and realized it was past the time Tobias said he would call her. A bit disappointed, she made herself dinner with a side of wine. When Tobias solved his case, he called Tris. Thanks largely to the wine in her veins they quickly planned a breakfast date for the next day._

 **Chapter 7: A Sticker and A Breakfast**

Tobias' eyes spring open and he immediately remembers the significance of today. He's taking Tris to breakfast today. His tired eyes quickly focus on the face of his watch, 5:00 AM on the dot, as usual. His internal clock works even on his days off, but today he doesn't mind. He climbs out of bed, his feet hitting the cold, wood floor.

Clad in black sweatpants and a navy blue CPD sweatshirt, he goes downstairs to his building's gym. He prefers working out at _Dauntless_ , but will use his building's gym if he really has to. He runs through his routine and finishes ten minutes faster than usual. Pleased with himself, he goes back up to his apartment to shower.

Up until a few years ago, his place was always perfectly neat. Not a speck of dust, not a bit of clutter. It's how he was raised. But, with a tiny kid comes big messes, and he eventually tired of cleaning up after his niece. She stays with him often, so her things quickly accumulated to the point that he transformed the ever vacant guest room for her. He steps over a doll as he goes to his room, but he hardly notices. Even his room has random things of Emily's scattered around it. By habit, he only sleeps on one side of his bed because when she spends the night, she lays on the right side of the bed while they watch movies. Her pink princess pillow and blanket stay there while his plain gray ones are on the left. Since the guest bathroom doesn't have a tub, his bathroom is full of her bath toys; the basket where he corrals the loose items is overflowing. She even has a tiny pink toothbrush on his sink. It's gotten to the point that he doesn't even notice the mess anymore; it's just a part of his home.

Tobias showers quickly but thoroughly and dresses in a simple pair of dark jeans and his favorite, black, leather jacket. He looks at the clock, happy to see that he left the right amount of time to get to Tris' apartment and pick her up.

* * *

Tris stands wrapped in a towel, staring at her closet. She doesn't understand how she's ever left her house, seeing as how she has nothing to wear. No matter how many times she looks, she can't find anything good enough.

Glancing at the clock, she panics. Fed up, she finds the pair of jeans that fit her best, a cream colored sweater, and a dark red knit scarf. She rolls her eyes as she dresses, hating her plain outfit. She removes her dry hair from the towel, puts on a little bit of makeup and does her hair half-up. She takes the extra step of spraying herself with a small amount of perfume before she puts her shoes on and grabs her wallet.

Just as she is double checking her appearance in the mirror, her doorbell rings. She takes a deep breath and opens it to find Tobias standing in front of her.

A smile instantly covers her face, just as it does his. "Hi," she says, sounding out of breath.

"Good morning, Tris," he says, his voice soft yet strong. He looks at her face and notices she is wearing something that makes her eyes look bluer than usual, but he likes it, and her blonde hair falls naturally in light waves over her front.

"Come in. I just need to grab my coat."

Tobias steps through the door and his detective eyes instantly thoroughly scan his surroundings. He immediately notices how clean her place is. It reminds him of what his apartment looked like before Emily, though he kind of prefers it how it is now. Tris' apartment is stylish and simple. She has a few pictures and small decorative objects in common places, but other than that there isn't much. He sees her couch and chair around an electric fireplace with a large TV overtop. To the side he sees a hallway, and to the other he sees a pretty standard kitchen. In the kitchen he sees the only thing not perfectly clean: an empty wine glass sits next to a sink occupied by a large pot tipped on its side. He wonders what made her leave those there.

"Okay. I'm ready when you are," she says from behind him. He turns to face her and smiles.

"I hope you're hungry."

Tobias opens the car door for Tris, and she slides into his sleek black car. The first thing she notices is the bright pink princess sticker stuck right to the display screen for the radio. A moment later, Tobias slides into the driver's seat. Tobias gives Tris a small smile as he starts the car.

"Try to contain your jealousy for my princess sticker," he deadpans as he pulls away from the curb.

Tris laughs. "I make no promises."

They drive for a few minutes in silence before Tobias hits a button to turn on the radio. It first belts out some _Disney_ music at a high volume, but he quickly turns it down and plays some song Tris has never head, but she finds herself enjoying it. "Sorry," he mumbles. She shakes her head and smiles.

"How can I be upset about some good old _Pocahontas_?"

He laughs. "Emily could sing _Colors of the Wind_ until she can't breathe."

"She sounds lovely," Tris says. Tobias' eyes leave the road for one second and he smiles back at Tris.

"She is."

"I take it you're quite close to her."

"I try to be. Sometimes I work more than I want to, but when I'm not, I'm usually with her."

"Is she in kindergarten yet?"

"She starts next fall. That's actually a large part of why I try to spend a lot of time with her. I'm worried that once she starts school, I'll never have any time with her."

"Well, judging by the fact that she gave you a valuable sticker, she must love you a lot. I'm sure she'll make time in her busy schedule for you," Tris laughs lightly.

"She didn't give me that sticker. I bought that on my own," Tobias says as seriously as he can. He tries to contain his laughter, but they both end up laughing.

Suddenly the music in the car stops and is replaced with a single ring, like a phone, and then a beep. "Crap," Tobias says to himself. His car automatically answers incoming calls from his cell phone while he is driving. It was never a problem before.

"Hello?" Tobias internally groans when he hears his best friend's voice.

"Hey," he says aloud. Tris feels kind of awkward being able to hear their conversation, so she keeps as quiet as she can.

"You have today off right? Want to come over and help me do some more work on the bathroom?" Despite Shauna's insistence, Zeke refused to hire a contractor to remodel their bathroom, so he and Tobias have been working on it for several months now.

"I can't right now, man."

"Why? You got somethin' better going on on a Wednesday morning?" Zeke asks, his tone teasing.

"Yeah, actually I do," Tobias says.

"You got a hot date or something?" Zeke asks, full out laughing now.

"Maybe," Tobias says, smirking at Tris. Tris feels herself blush as she glances at Tobias.

"Oh, the great Detective Eaton finally decides to stop being such a prude?"

"I'm not a prude!"

Zeke sighs. "And breakfast? Really? That's so boring."

"Maybe she likes breakfast."

"Yeah, but you can't take a girl home after _breakfast_. That's not how it works, buddy."

"Maybe I'm not like that."

Zeke laughs. "When was the last time you-"

"Zeke!"

"Oh shit – I mean shoot. Are you with Emily?"

"No. I'm with Tris and she ca-"

"Why are you with – oh. _Ohh_ , nice job my boy! I knew as soon as you guys were makin' eyes at each other on Christmas Eve that you were gonna get it." Tris cringes, _even Zeke noticed them._

"Zeke, shut up."

"What? I'm proud. Honestly, Tris is not a bad lookin' chick. I'm proud of you man." Tris looks out the corner of her eye to see Tobias' knuckles turning white as he holds the steering wheel.

Tobias sighs heavily. "We're in my car, so Tris can hear everything you're saying, Zeke."

The line is silent for a long moment. "Oh." Zeke clears his throat awkwardly "Well, uh, I have to, um, go see if the dog is done outside. See ya later, uh, bye, Tris."

"Bye," Tris says quietly.

"I'm really sorry about that," Tobias says, scratching the back of his neck. "Mentally, he's about twelve."

"I didn't know they had a dog," Tris says, knowing nothing else to respond with.

"They don't." A long moment of silence passes as they drive with only the music providing any noise.

"So, I'm a hot date?" Tris asks with a teasing smile. She watches Tobias' ears turn a shade redder than normal as he nods.

"A bit more than that, really." She can't wipe the smile off her face, which pleases him.

Tobias opens Tris' car door and lets her take his hand as she steps out. "Have you ever been here before?" Tobias asks as they approach the door of a small restaurant.

"No. You?"

"Yeah. Talia and I used to come here a lot when I was in high school. They have the best omelets in Chicago." Tobias opens the door and they enter. The smell of maple syrup, bacon, and other incredible smells hits them like a wall.

"Welcome to _Annie's_ ," a middle-aged woman says. They are seated at a booth in the busy little restaurant next to a window with a view of an alleyway. Not every view in the crowded city can be a super appealing one.

"My name is Kelly. Here are your menus. What can I get you two to drink?" she asks.

"I'll have coffee, black," Tris smiles at her.

"Same with me," Tobias says.

"Okay! I'll be back in a minute to take your orders," the waitress says with a polite smile.

"So, what's good here?" Tris asks, opening her menu.

"I always get a meat and potato omelet, but my sister says the breakfast sandwiches are better," Tobias shrugs.

Tris looks through those and finds one that sounds appealing. "I'll try one of those."

They set down their menus just in time for the waitress to set their coffees down. "Ready to order?" They give her their orders and she leaves the table.

"How was your Christmas?" Tris asks, folding her hands in her lap, suddenly a bit nervous. She tries to stop thinking about how handsome Tobias is and to see him as just a person.

"It was really nice," he says with a soft smile. It fades just slightly when he remembers the dinner conversation with his sister and Emily. He almost wants to tell Tris about it so that he can have someone to laugh it off with, but he thinks better of it. "My niece was really excited about her gifts. So was my sister, and thank you again."

"Of course," she says with a small smile.

"How was your Christmas?"

Tris takes a small breath, but forces a smile. "It was alright. I don't have any family to spend it with, so I volunteered at the soup kitchen."

"That's amazing of you, Tris," he says. Neither of them notices that he is resting on his folded forearms on the table and leaning towards her.

"It's okay, I guess. I used to go with my mom a lot. The woman who runs it was good friends with her."

"Before my mom died, she used to do a lot of volunteering at a soup kitchen too. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was called. I don't even know if it's still open."

"I volunteer at _Cookie's Kitchen_."

Tobias' eyes light up. "That's what it is! My mom went there every Saturday for years."

"What was her name?" Tris asks, leaning forward.

"Evelyn."

Tris thinks really hard. "There was a woman with long, curly, dark hair-"

"That's her," Tobias says, a smile on his face. He seems to disappear for a moment, lost in memories, but he quickly comes back. "My sister got the curls, but I got the color."

"She was friends with my mom, I think. They talked a lot when they were both there. It's a wonder why we never met."

It doesn't surprise Tobias though. Marcus didn't allow Evelyn to make friends, or at least she didn't let him see if she did. And Tobias and Talia were never allowed to have friends over or to visit a friend's home. It's amazing that he was actually able to become friends with Zeke. "Yeah," he says, but it doesn't convince Tris a bit. She ignores it though, not wanting to dig too deep into his personal life if he doesn't want to share it.

Tris decides to try to change the subject. "Have you always lived in Chicago?"

He nods as he takes a drink of his hot coffee. "Yep. I've always wanted to travel, but I've never really had the chance."

"I love traveling. My parents are originally from Chicago, but I was born when they were on a road trip to visit my grandparents in Seattle. I was born in Denver on the way back."

"That's kind of funny. My niece was born in Denver a month and a half early when Talia and her husband were at a resort."

Tris is about to respond when something catches her eye. She looks out the window and sees a man dressed in all black holding another man up against a building. He has something shiny in his hand, and she quickly realizes it's a knife. "Tobias." Her eyes leave the scene to alert him, but he's already on it.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," he says as he leaves the booth. She wants to stop him out of fear, but it's not her call. All she can do is watch.

Even considering that it's a fairly dark alley, she wonders how nobody else in the restaurant is noticing what is happening outside. She sees Tobias with his back to a building around a corner, out of the two peoples' view, looking back over his shoulder at them. She notices he is holding something in both his hands: a gun.

She watches in suspense as he walks into their line of sight, his arms and his gun up in front of him. He must yell something to get their attention because they suddenly look his way. She watches him slowly approach the two men. She can only see Tobias' back, but she watches the man drop the knife, hold up his hands, and place his palms on the wall. The other man does the same. She sees Tobias holster his gun, cuff both men, and then make a call on his cell phone. A minute later, she hears the sirens, and only then do other customers in the restaurant begin to pay any attention.

"Hey, isn't that your date?" For the first time since Tobias left, Tris looks back to her right. The waitress from earlier, whom the question came from, stands holding two plates of steaming food but looks out the windows.

With a sudden burst of pride, Tris almost smiles. "Yeah, he is."

A minute later, Tris watches the police load the two men into separate squad cars and Tobias jogs back to the restaurant. A minute later, she hears his voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing to worry about. Please go back to enjoying your breakfasts," he says over the loud, worried murmur of the place. It calms back down and he sits down again across from Tris. "Sorry about that," he says so casually, as though he accidentally bumped her in a crowded hallway.

She sits with her jaw slack, staring as he cuts into his omelet. It takes him nearly a minute to notice she isn't moving. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" Tris asks incredulously. Tobias simply nods, eyebrows raised. "I'm not the one who went outside to face a man with a knife."

"I had a gun," he shrugs.

"But – oh my God, you have a gun!"

Tobias sets his fork down. He _really_ hopes she isn't anti-gun. "Tris, I'm a detective. We have guns. But luckily I didn't need to use it today."

"Right. Right, you're a detective. It's what you do. You're okay. You're okay, right?"

He gives her a small smile that makes her insides warm. "I'm fine, Tris. There was a situation, I handled it, and now there is no longer a threat. It's okay. Everything is fine." Calming her down isn't entirely a new thing for him. The first time he had to handle a situation off the clock with Talia, she reacted way worse.

"Okay." She is looking right at him, but it takes her a few minutes to really see him. "Okay. I'm good. I've just never… seen that before. I mean in movies and stuff yeah, but this was different. It was you. And that guy had a real knife, and, and…"

"There really isn't much rest for the Chicago police," Tobias says with a chuckle. "How's your sandwich?" Just now does Tris realize she hasn't taken a single bite of her sandwich. She does, and she moans with happiness at how good it is, which makes Tobias laugh. Her mouth is too full to respond, so she gives him a thumbs-up.

"Well," she says a moment later, "at least we'll have an interesting first date story."

" _First_ date? Does that mean there will be a second?" Tobias asks with a hopeful smile.

She grins. "Definitely."

 **This chapter was originally longer, but I prefer it like this. I was trying to make it longer only for the sake of making it longer, but it felt insincere. I'm not writing for a word count with this story, instead just ending chapters where they should naturally end. But, there will be more first date action in chapter 8 :)**

 **About Tobias' job (skip this part if you don't care): Although I received a lot of great feedback about details of Tobias' job, and although I'd love to write a story with those aspects in it, the details of Tobias' work life will be just as vague as Tris' or anyone else's. I'd like to say a huge thank you to _BK2U_ for their guidance. They made me see that focusing on his job will distract from the characters and the plot, which is where I really want to be. Maybe someday I'll make a story all around a Tobias who protects Chicago with a ton of details pertaining to that, but now is neither the time nor the place. I hope this is alright with you all because I am excited to keep writing. Doing the story this way will also allow me to write faster and more deeply about their relationship and the plot surrounding that.  
**

 **Apologies for the long note, but please leave me a review with your thoughts and opinions – I always love to hear them.**

 **-GerdyGertha**

P.S. I was mentioned for Erudite High School in a BuzzFeed article to help represent the Divergent fanfiction community! It's probably not very cool, but I think it is….. :) Link on my profile if you care haha  
Thank you to sydneymarania on _BuzzFeed_ for suggesting EHS and to enj412 here on FFN for letting me know!

P.P.S. A guest left a review about Emily and Talia's names, and I just had to laugh. I didn't even notice that I used those names in EHS too… I guess work from the same writer is bound to have similarities! I thought it was pretty funny!


	8. Chapter 8: Hikes and Interrogations

**Previously (A Sticker and A Breakfast)…** _Tobias picked Tris up for their breakfast date. While in the car, Tobias' automatic answering system played Zeke's voice through the speakers. Unaware that Tris could hear, Zeke expressed how proud he was of Tobias for going on a date with Tris. They arrived at the restaurant and fell into conversation, learning that their mothers were friends. Then Tris noticed something in the alleyway next to the restaurant. One man held another against a wall at knife-point, and Tobias took care of the situation, much to Tris' alarm. When he came back into the restaurant, he assured Tris that everything was all right._

 **Chapter 8: Hikes and Interrogations**

There seems to be some unspoken agreement between both Tris and Tobias: it's not quite time to say goodbye.

"I want to show you a place," Tris says as they step outside the restaurant.

"What kind of place?" Tobias asks as he opens the car door for her. She smiles at his gesture. She's never had a man treat her with the simple things, and she can't say she minds.

"You'll see." Going to an unknown place goes against his instinct, but her gentle smile somehow assures him, and he nods.

Tris directs him to one of the slightly less populated areas near the lake. "You can park along those trees there."

They get out of the car and she begins leading him towards the trees. "Where are we going?"

She looks over her shoulder and grins. "It's just a short walk. Think you can make it?"

He raises his eyebrows at her teasing, but answers in the same tone. "I'm more worried about you in those shoes."

She smirks. "A little snow never hurt anybody!" Tobias follows behind Tris up through the trees. It's difficult to tell by looking at the ground, but he can feel on his legs that they are at an incline. He really tries not to stare at her butt, but she's got such a nice one that he finds it hard. It's not so big that it looks obnoxious, like the ones he sees on magazine covers the grocery store, but it's definitely there… right in front of his eyes. "Just a little further," she says, interrupting his thoughts. He mentally scolds himself, and decides to look at the trees instead.

They come to a clearing in the tress, and the frozen dirt turns into snow covered rock. She carefully steps forward on it, and he realizes it's much more of a cliff. From there, she can see the beach below, and the ice-covered great lake in front of them. She sits on the edge, ignoring the snow dampening her pants, and dangles her feet over the edge.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asks, looking over the frozen scene. In the distance, the city is visible, but the light fog helps hide it. She hears him suck in a breath and she looks behind her. "Tobias?"

He stands a good twenty feet from her, still at the tree line with his arms crossed. "It's really nice," he says loud enough for her to hear, but even with the distance, she can hear how tense he is.

She stands up from the ledge and walks over to him, but he doesn't look at her. "Are you okay?" He nods stiffly, looking out at the lake. "Are you afraid of heights?" He finally looks down at her and gives the smallest of nods. She notices his knuckles are white from his fists being balled so tightly, and she feels terrible. It was her idea to come up here. She is making him stand over his fear. She hesitantly rests her hand on his folded arms, almost laughing at the size difference. "How about we sit?"

They sit on a wide, fallen tree that managed to remain shielded from snowfall. She grabs his hand for warmth and comfort. "This really is beautiful," he finally says.

"My dad used to take my brother and I here when we were really young," Tris says with a heavy sigh, but she smiles. "And when my brother had insomnia as a teenager, sometimes he and I would come here and just look at the city's reflection on the lake for hours."

"You miss them a lot." It's not a question, and she nods.

"Everyday." She's silent for a moment before she smiles. "They would have liked you," Tris says, playing with Tobias' fingers in her lap.

"What were they like?"

"My dad was kind of uptight, but it was the little things he did, like this, that hold the best memories. He was really smart. About everything. My mom kind of balanced him out. When he was being too strict, she'd calm him down. She always knew what to do in a conflict. She always wanted to help everybody, even if they didn't deserve it. When we were young, my brother and I were really close. We stuck together for everything. As we got older, we grew apart. Then he moved to New York for work. He probably would have really liked you. He was a medical examiner for the NYPD when he died."

Something immediately sticks out to Tobias. "A medical examiner in New York?" Tris nods. "Was his name Caleb?"

Tris sits up; she hadn't even realized she was leaning on Tobias. "Yes. Did you know him?"

"I had a case here in Chicago that took me to New York for a few days. I worked with an ME named Caleb. I never knew his last name, but it must have been your brother."

"It's such a small world," Tris sighs, leaning on Tobias again.

"He was a really great guy, Tris. And incredibly smart, too." She nods. She and her brother bickered sometimes, but they were so close in age that it somehow made their bond stronger than any fight they had. He was older, and didn't let her forget it. When he died, she felt like a piece of her died along with him. It was different than with her parents. Every child knows that someday their parents will pass away, but her brother wasn't supposed to go. He wasn't supposed to die so soon. She wanted more time. They sit in silence and look out at the view until Tris shivers. "Are you cold?"

"I'm okay," Tris lies. Tobias sees right through her, but decides to put his arm around her rather than call her out. She hums quietly admitting the truth.

"Where have you traveled to?" Tobias asks.

"I was really lucky because my mom loved to travel. I've been to Seattle, because my grandparents lived there. New York, for Caleb, I've been camping in Canada, and I've been to California, Florida, Mexico, and some other states on the east coast."

"Wow. I've been to New York, D.C., and Wisconsin," Tobias laughs. "Not quite the record you have."

"I've never been to D.C.! I've always wanted to go!" Tris says excitedly.

"I've got some friends there that flew me out there. It's pretty incredible."

"Someday you'll have to bring me," Tris says, making Tobias grin.

"Where's the best place you've ever been?"

"Camping in Canada was a lot of fun, but really there's no place like home. I love Chicago."

"Me, too," Tobias agrees, glancing over at the cityscape. They sit in calm silence until Tobias' phone rings. Tris sits up, giving him access to his pocket. "I'm sorry, it's my sister."

"It's fine," she says with a smile.

"Hello?"

"Tobias? Are you busy?" Talia asks frantically.

"Yes, but what's wrong?"

"The hospital called. John was brought there. Please, can you come watch Emily? I need to go, Tobias."

"I'm not too far away, but I'm… I'm with Tris."

"She can come over, too. Please hurry, Tobias. And please, don't let Emily know there's anything wrong."

"Okay, relax. I'll get there as soon as I can." Talia hangs up immediately and Tobias looks at Tris.

"Is everything okay?"

"My brother-in-law was just brought to the hospital and my sister needs me to go over there to watch Emily. I'm really sorry, Tris."

"It's okay. I can call a cab or something."

"Unless you want to come with me," Tobias says, hesitating slightly. He knows he wants Tris to meet his family, he just didn't know it would be so soon.

Tris' jaw falls a little slack, but it's obvious how worried Tobias is, so she says the first thing that comes to mind. "Okay."

They practically sprint down the slope back to Tobias' car. "Do you trust me?" he asks as they buckle up.

Tris doesn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Hold on." He presses a button and she hears the sirens on his car and sees the lights reflecting on the road. She had no idea his car was an undercover. Tobias pulls a u-turn and slams on the gas. Tris watches Tobias' speedometer go to 80 as they fly by a _30 MPH_ sign on the long road. After a few minutes, he slows the car and pulls into a nice looking neighborhood. He turns off the sirens and pulls up to a tan house with a dark wood front porch. "We're here."

A woman comes sprinting out of the house as soon as Tobias leads Tris up the short path. "Thank you, Tobias!" she says, barely looking at the two as she runs by.

"Call me when you hear something!" he calls after her. She waves her hand in response as she opens her car door.

"Are you okay with this?" Tobias asks, taking Tris' hand on the front porch.

"If you are."

"I'm sure Emily will love you," Tobias says. Tris blushes at his word choice, but nods. With that, Tobias opens the door and they step inside.

Tris hears a small voice from inside. "Uncle Tobias?"

"I'm here," he calls out, looking up the stairs at something Tris doesn't see.

Suddenly, a little girl comes down the stairs. She stops at the landing and stares with wide eyes at Tris, then at Tris and Tobias' joined hands, then at her uncle, and then back at Tris. "Who you?"

"Emily," Tobias says gently, "this is Tris."

"Is she your wife?" Emily asks, slowly stepping down the stairs.

"No, she's my… friend." He gently squeezes Tris' hand, hopefully telling her that she is a bit more to him than just a friend.

"You don't hold Zeke's hand," Emily points out, eyes narrow.

 _Perceptive_ , Tris thinks. Tobias nods. "Okay, Tris is a different kind of friend."

"Girlfriend?" Emily asks, but this time, she looks right at Tris.

Tris opens her mouth to speak, but she isn't entirely sure what to say. Luckily, Tobias knows. "Have you eaten anything Emily?"

Luckily, even though Emily is very intelligent and perceptive, she still has the attention span of her age. "Mommy was makin' me some oatmeal and then the phone ring and then she was yellin' and then I asked her where my oatmeal is and she said she don't have time to make me oatmeal and then she called you and went in the other room so I not hear and then she left."

"So, you haven't eaten?" Tobias asks again with his eyebrows raised.

Emily shakes her head. "I just said that, uncle Tobias."

"Just checking." Tobias chuckles and takes his hand out of Tris' to take her coat. He hangs their coats, they remove their shoes, and then they follow Emily to the kitchen. Tris finds herself looking around the house as they go. She loves the feeling it gives her. It's very nicely decorated, and it feels very homey with its warm colors.

"Pancakes!" Emily demands as she climbs up to sit on an island stool. Tobias chuckles, but he nods and begins sorting through the cabinets. "Sit by me, Tris," Emily says, patting the stool next to her.

"Thank you," Tris says, sitting down.

"Do you want some coffee or water, Tris?" Tobias asks.

"Some water would be great." Tobias nods, fills a glass, and sets it down in front of her before he resumes his work.

"Do you have a dog?" Emily asks, resting her elbow on the island counter and turning to look at Tris.

"No, but I like dogs."

"How old are you?"

"22."

"How old are you?" Emily asks, looking to Tobias. Tris watches his arms flex as he mixes batter in a large bowl, but immediately moves her eyes when he looks up. "Are you 40?"

Tobias tries to look angry, but it doesn't work and he just laughs at her instead. "Your mom is older than me!"

"But you're bigger!" Emily argues. _Kid logic_ , Tris thinks, smiling.

"Well, that doesn't mean I'm _older_."

"You're not 40?"

Tobias shakes his head and laughs. "I'm 24, kid."

Emily frowns and counts her on her fingers in some order that doesn't make much sense to anyone but her. "Are you older than Tris?"

"By two years," Tobias says, holding up two fingers.

"Is that a lot?"

"No."

"Are you gonna die first?"

Tobias sighs and Tris frowns. "Age doesn't necessarily determine when someone will pass away, Em."

She ponders this for a second, frowning at her uncle. "Can you make me a pancake shaped like _Mickey Mouse_?"

Tobias grins, happy to have that conversation through with. "Sure, kid."

Emily turns her attention back to Tris. "What's your job?"

"I work at a clothing store and I'm a substitute teacher."

"My mommy is a teacher!" Emily says excitedly.

Tris actually didn't know that. "That's very cool! Which school does she teach in?"

Emily's eyebrows furrow. "Elementary," Tobias says, not looking up from the stove.

"Elementary," Emily repeats matter-of-fact as though her uncle didn't just say it.

Tris plays along and smiles. "I teach middle school. Those kids are older."

Emily seems interested for about five seconds. "Do you have babies?"

That question takes Tris by surprise. "Uh, no."

"Are you gonna have babies?"

Tris clears her throat in attempt to shake off how awkward she feels and tries to remember that she's talking to an almost 5 year-old, but she can't forget about the 24 year-old listening in. "I don't know."

"Do you want to have babies with my uncle Tobias?"

Tris' eyes widen in total shock as she feels her cheeks get warm. "Emily," Tobias scolds with his voice sounding even deeper than usual, and looking at Emily with firm eyes.

"What?" Emily asks innocently with a smile. "I'm just askin' her some questions."

"Change your questions, kid," Tobias says. Emily simply grins at him and Tobias holds back a smile. Tris contains a laugh at their interaction.

"Wanna see what Santa gave me in my sock, Tris?"

Relieved to be through with the questions, Tris quickly replies. "Yes!"

Ten long minutes later, Tobias calls for Emily to come get her breakfast. Her stocking gifts are quickly forgotten in the living room as she gets up and runs to the kitchen. Tris gathers up Emily's toys and places them back in her large stocking before following her.

She stops just before the doorway when she hears Tobias and Emily whispering at kid-level, which is more like quietly talking. "Do you love Tris, uncle Tobias?" Emily asks quietly.

"I like her a lot" he says.

"She's pretty," Emily says.

"She is _very_ pretty. Almost as pretty as you," Tobias agrees, making Emily giggle and Tris smile. "Do you like her?"

"Yeah. She's nice. I think she loves you."

"Why do you say that?"

Emily is quiet for a second as she thinks. "She looks at you like mommy looks at daddy." Tobias says nothing, and Tris wonders why he is silent. "And her face gets pink when you smile at her."

She hears Tobias laugh. "Yes, it does. I think it makes her look even prettier." Tris can't help but smile wider at that, and sure enough, she blushes as well.

"Mm-hm," Emily hums, clearly with a mouth full of food.

Tris takes this chance to casually walk into the kitchen. "Hey, sorry I went to the bathroom," she lies smoothly.

Tobias smiles, but he doesn't point out that the only bathroom in the house is straight through the kitchen.

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter. There is a lot of dialogue, but if you couldn't already tell: it's my favorite thing to write. Speaking of dialogue, the way Emily talks, in full sentences – for the most part, is because I can't bring myself to write mispelled words with random w's and r's thrown in. And you may notice that the other characters don't speak to her like a baby, that's because that kind of annoys me to be honest…**

 **Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter with a review. I can't wait to hear from you!**

 **-GerdyGertha**


	9. Chapter 9: Bubbles and Lie Detectors

**Previously (Hikes and Interrogations)…** _Tris and Tobias took a short hike to a cliff Tris used to visit with her father and brother. She quickly learned about Tobias' fear of heights, so they sat on a fallen tree away from the edge. They sat close and talked until Tobias' phone rang. It was Talia calling in a panic to tell Tobias that her husband was rushed to the hospital and to beg Tobias to come watch Emily. Tris went with him to Talia's house, where she met Emily for the first time. At first, Emily asked Tris a couple of personal questions, but Tobias ended that. When Tobias called Emily into the kitchen for her breakfast, Tris stopped outside the doorway to hear their conversation about her._

 **Chapter 9: Bubbles and Lie Detectors**

"Uncle Tobias, where did mommy go?" Emily asks as she eats her third _Mickey Mouse_ shaped pancake.

Tobias hesitates and his eyes meet Tris'. "Something happened at the school and she had to go check it out," Tris lies smoothly. Even Tobias, who is practically a human lie detector, is fairly impressed. The schools are on holiday break right now, but Tris hopes Emily doesn't think about that.

"Okay," Emily says, shoving another bite of pancake in her mouth. Tris looks at Tobias with worry, but he nods to assure her.

"How are the pancakes, Em?" Tobias grins as he watches her stuff her face. She's got syrup _everywhere_ which means she's going to need a bath. She doesn't reply, but instead nods her head multiple times. "Do you enjoy having syrup down your shirt?"

Emily stops mid-chew to glare at her uncle. _She looks like her mom when she does that_ , Tobias thinks, but Emily has the same eye color as he does. He doesn't know the exact workings of genetics – that's what ME's are for – but somehow she got her dark blue eye color from her grandfather, even though her mother's eyes are brown. She also inherited the light, sandy brown hair color from her grandfather and mother, shaped into the curls from her grandmother and mother. Even while looking so much like her mother, when she is next to John no one can doubt their relation. She's a beautiful girl.

Tris chuckles watching Emily glare at her uncle for his teasing. "A little syrup never hurt anybody," Tris tells him. He gives her a smile that touches her heart at the reference to what she said earlier today.

"Fine. _You_ can give her a bath," he smirks.

"A bath?" Emily asks, her eyes wide with excitement. "I'm done eating now." She sets her fork down, hops off the stool, and runs to the other end of the kitchen and through a door.

"Have fun," Tobias says a little too sweetly to Tris.

"Mm, _thanks_ ," she replies sarcastically. Just before she steps into the bathroom, she looks back at him. "Have fun with the dishes." His smile fades as she winks and disappears, shutting the door behind her.

The bathtub's faucet is already running when Tris enters. "Help," Emily mumbles. Tris spins around to find Emily with her sticky nightgown stuck half off her head and half on, one eye peeking out. She gently pulls it off for her and Emily grins when she is free. "I like my bath with bubbles."

"Where are those?" Tris asks. Emily points to a shelf high out of Emily's reach. Tris retrieves them and looks at the back of the bottle. "How much do I put in?" Tris wonders aloud.

"I know," Emily assures, holding her hand out for the bottle.

Tris gives it to her and watches her unscrew the lid and pour in the _whole_ bottle. She watches as it bubbles up quickly. "I think… that was too much."

"It's how mommy does it," Emily promises her. She climbs over the side of the tub as it fills with fluffy, white bubbles. "Can I have those?" she asks, pointing to a container of toys. Tris hands her the container and Emily dumps the entire bucket in the tub.

The bubbles in the tub only increase, and now Tris can't even see the level of the water. She knows Emily's shoulders are above the line of the tub, but the bubbles are up to her chin and are overflowing over the sides. "Emily," Tris worries. "I think this is too many. Can you shut the water off?"

"But it's not full!"

"I know, but the bubbles are going over the sides." Tris would turn it off herself, but it's impossible to find the unfamiliar knobs in the giant sea of white fluff.

"It's fun!"

Tris opens the bathroom door. "Tobias!"

He's there in a half a second, past her in 1, and the water is off in 1.5. "Did you pour the whole bottle in, Emily?" he asks frantically. He begins sweeping away bubbles with his hands because Emily is no longer visible. He finally uncovers her, covered in white bubbles and grinning like a madman.

"Yep! Ain't it cool, uncle Tobias? Tris helped!"

Tris instantly puts her hands up defensively. "She said it's what her mom does!"

Tobias tries really hard to contain his laughter, but he fails miserably. "I'm sorry… It's not funny… I shouldn't laugh," he manages to say through his hysterics. "That kid is a good liar."

"You're not mad?" Tris asks hesitantly.

Tobias takes a deep breath and stops laughing. "Of course not. She's done this same thing to me."

"But it was at his house!" Emily laughs. "His bedroom got all wet!"

Tobias nods in shame. "She pretty much flooded my apartment." Tobias sits on the floor against the wall with his legs tented and his arms resting on his knees. Tris sits down next to him with her legs straight out. Emily plays in the tub, talking to herself, off in her own little world.

"So, a 4 year-old managed to flood ' _the great Detective Eaton_ 's' apartment?" Tris asks with a smile in reference to the phone call with Zeke in the car, making Tobias cringe.

" _Actually_ , she was only 2 at the time."

Tris laughs. "I kind of want to give her a prize."

"She can put it with all her other trophies. Right next to the one for tricking me into giving her ice cream for breakfast _right_ _in front_ of her mother."

"She's very smart," Tris says, nodding. " _Or_ you're very stupid."

"Hey!" Tobias bumps his shoulder lightly against hers, making her laugh. They watch Emily play for a while. She's built some kind of boat where only sea creatures are allowed, but not humans. She uses her dolphin to launch a doll across the tub. "That's concerning," Tobias whispers.

Tris laughs. "She's just a kid. Apparently one who enjoys irony."

"So whatever is in the ocean must be property of the fish. It really only makes sense."

"Except dolphin aren't _fish_." Tobias looks at Tris with a raised eyebrow and an expression that says ' _seriously_?' "Just being accurate," she mumbles.

He smirks and nudges her again, but he doesn't move away. She looks down at the bracelet Emily made for him and smiles. "Once she learned how to spell my name, she put it everywhere," he says, following her gaze. When he looks up at her, he realizes just how close they are. If he wanted to, he could move the slightest bit and put his lips right on hers.

They are so close that she feels his warm breath on her. She wants to close the tiny distance. She leans impossibly closer to him. "It's a really nice bracelet," she says softly. His lips curve gently into a smile as he looks down at hers.

"Thanks!" a cheery little voice says. Tobias and Tris' close proximity is quickly dissolved as their heads fly up to look at the little girl with a big grin on her face. "I made it cause uncle Tobias needs to be pretty like my mommy. My mommy wears bracelets. She has lots of them. She has purple ones and gold ones and blue ones and pink ones. The pink ones are my favorite. I have pink shoes my daddy bought me. I like them cause they have flowers on them. Flowers are…"

Tris and Tobias both stop listening, but Emily doesn't notice. As she plays and talks, she doesn't notice her uncle kissing the pretty blonde girl. She doesn't see them break for air, grinning like children. But they see. They feel.

Tris looks into the dark blue of his eyes, and she's close enough to see the smallest fleck of brown in his right eye. She thinks the little details of him are beautiful: the tiny things nobody notices. Not just the physical things either, but the who he _is_ : the amazing uncle, the dedicated detective, the caring man – those are the things she sees. Not just the way he looks in his tight shirt, though she doesn't mind that, but the respect he treats everyone with, how passionately he cares and loves, the way he holds himself with strength but not arrogance. She looks at these qualities of him and sees so much more than what the rest of the world sees. She knows she's falling hard for this man, though they've known each other for such a short time, she knows without a doubt that he makes her incredibly happy.

"Uncle Tobias the water is cold," Emily says, breaking both of them from their trances. "I wanna get out."

Tobias holds Tris' beautiful blue-gray eyes for a second longer before he sighs and stands up. "Did you wash your hair?"

"No," Emily says sweetly.

"Wash your hair, then you can get out."

Emily gives him a heavy, dramatic sigh. "Can you do it _for_ me, uncle Tobias?"

"You're almost five."

"But _you're_ my most _favorite_ uncle in the whole _world_!"

Tobias sighs heavily. He gets down on his knees as he mumbles, "I'm your only uncle, kid." He proceeds to wash her hair as she plays with her toys. Tris can't help smiling as she watches. Emily looks so tiny in comparison to Tobias – one of his hands covers the entire top of her head. "Head back, eyes closed," Tobias orders. Emily tilts her head backwards and Tobias rinses the suds out of her hair with a pink, plastic cup.

"Done?" she asks, her eyes still shut tightly.

"Done." Tobias stands up and grabs a towel from a closet in the corner. He sets it on the counter while Emily stands up shivering. She lifts her arms slightly and he picks her up and sets her on the mat before wrapping the large towel around her.

He gets down on his knees again and rubs his hands up and down her arms to create heat. She grins, dripping and shivering. "Thank you, uncle Tobias."

He puts a kiss on her cheek and pats her head. "Go get dressed." She quickly scurries out of the room as he stands up. "Don't run!" he calls out, but they don't hear her feet slow on the hardwood.

Tris stands up as Tobias pulls the plug in the drain. She puts one arm around his waist as he is leaning over picking up her toys, feeling his holster on her wrist. "You're a good uncle."

He feels warmer with her arm around him, yet he shivers. "I try."

"And she's got you wrapped around her little finger," Tris laughs as she twirls her pinky finger in little circles.

Tobias looks down with a shameful smile. "I know." He stands up straight but her arm doesn't leave his waist. He wraps his around hers and leans down to meet her lips with his. Their kiss is slow but deeper than their first. When they break apart, Tris laughs. "What's funny?"

She shakes her head. "Our first kiss was on a bathroom floor in your sister's house."

"And I arrested two guys on our first date," he adds laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "By the way, it's not _a_ bathroom floor in my sister's house. It's _the_ bathroom floor. There's only one bathroom, Tris."

She frowns in confusion for a moment before it hits her. "I lied," she says in small voice.

He has a small smile on his face as he nods. "I know. What'd you hear?" He's definitely not upset and she's definitely not all that ashamed.

"Just some things."

"Well," he says, pausing to push back a blonde strand of hair. "Emily and I only speak the truth." Tris grins before she presses her lips to Tobias' again. Her lips are soft and his are warm. They get lost in their kiss before a thought crosses his mind. "It's been too quiet upstairs."

They quickly leave the bathroom and Tris follows him up a flight of stairs. They go into a bedroom with pink walls, but find it empty. "Emily?"

They hear a giggle come from beneath her bed, and Tobias looks directly at it. "I swear I heard something."

He sits down on her bed and signals for Tris to sit next to him. "I thought so, too," she plays along.

"Must have been the wind," he shrugs. They hear another giggle.

"That's some pretty loud wind."

"Let's take a nap on this awesome bed, and hope the wind calms down." He makes a move to lay down when they hear her.

"Wait!" She crawls out from under the bed. "You're gonna break my bed, uncle Tobias!"

Tobias stops himself at almost a 45 degree angle. Tris' eyes graze over his abdomen, wishing she could see the muscles flexing. "Are you calling me fat, kid?"

She laughs loudly and shakes her head as he sits up. "No! But you're too big for a kid bed!"

"What do you mean? You called me a baby last week!"

"That's cause you were crying like one!" Emily laughs.

"Hey, _Up_ is a sad movie!" Tobias says as seriously as he can. Emily only laughs harder.

"Even mommy didn't cry at that movie!"

" _Lies_ ," Tobias says, shaking his head.

"She didn't!"

"Yeah, okay," Tobias says sarcastically. He adds on a dramatic wink.

Emily frowns, and puts both hands on each of Tobias' cheeks and gets inches away from his face. "I'm serious, uncle Tobias," she says firmly, looking directly into his eyes.

He stares into the color he sees in the mirror every day. "Fine, you win." She grins, drops her hands, and starts doing twirls around her room, laughing. Tobias glances at Tris with a smile on his face. She returns it and holds up her pinky finger. He nods and shrugs before looking back at Emily who's still doing her victory dance. "What are you wearing, kid?"

She's got on bright yellow shorts, a blue long sleeve shirt with a pink tank top over it, bright red rain boots, and a green hat with a purple flower pattern on it. "My favorite outfit!"

Tobias frowns for a second, but then he shrugs. "Eh, whatever."

She laughs. "Eh, whatever."

"Oh no," Tobias whispers to himself as he watches Emily go around her room, look at various objects for a moment, shrug, and say 'Eh, whatever.' Tobias rubs his palm over his face. "Tal is going to be mad."

"It could be worse," Tris points out. He could have accidentally taught her a cuss word.

"I accidentally said… f-u-c-k 3 months ago and she stopped saying it 2 weeks ago."

Tris cringes. "How'd they get her to stop?"

"Tal threatened to take away baths and make her take showers instead."

Tris' lips curve into a smile. "Seriously? That worked?"

"Just like that," Tobias says, snapping his fingers. "That kid is serious about her baths."

Once Emily seems to have exhausted saying 'Eh, whatever' at every object in her room, she stands in front of Tobias. "I'd like to nap now."

Tobias and Tris stand up from her bed and Emily sits down on it. She removes her rain boots and climbs under her blankets. "Goodnight, Em."

"Goodnight, uncle Tobias. Goodnight, Tris," she says through a yawn.

"Goodnight, Emily," Tris says quietly, smiling at the girl with the dark blue eyes falling closed.

"Do you want the door open or closed?" Tobias asks as he turns off the light.

Emily yawns again. "Eh, whatever."

Tobias shakes his head as he closes the door behind himself and Tris. They go downstairs to the living room and plop down on the couch. "Can I ask you a serious question, Tris?" She nods, looking into his eyes. "Does it bother you that I carry a gun?"

Her eyebrows rise at the unexpected question, but she shakes her head. "No. You know, I had a friend in high school whose dad was a cop, and he kept his gun in his jacket by the front door loaded and everything, which made me nervous, but yours is holstered, and you obviously know when and when not to use it, and I trust you to be careful. It doesn't bother me. In fact, I'd forgotten about it until now."

"Good," he says with relief. "I don't know what I'd do if that was a deal breaker for you."

Tris wants to push him forward; to ask him _exactly what kind of deal?_ but she doesn't. She just smiles. "You don't have to find out." He picks up her hand and traces patterns on the back. She almost thinks he is spelling something out, but she can't tell what. He seems to zone out, looking at nothing. He stays that way for several minutes, and she becomes curious.

Suddenly he uses his free hand to take his phone out of his pocket. "Nothing from Talia, but I heard back about those guys I arrested. It's what I figured: drug deal gone wrong. They're both fine, but the one with the knife broke his parole so he'll probably be going back in."

"Do you get a lot of that sort of stuff?" Tris remembers what he had told her on Christmas Eve, and she instantly feels bad. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Tobias shrugs. "It's okay. I don't really deal with the little drug deals like that. If I'm in the drug department, it's for bigger scale things. There's a lot of stuff going on with Canada right now that we're dealing with."

"Canada? Really?"

"It has gained in popularity because of the lower security at the border."

"I guess that makes sense."

Tobias sighs. "I wish I could tell you more about what I do."

Tris shrugs. "There are probably a lot of things in this world that I'd be better off not knowing anyways, I suppose."

"I suppose," he repeats.

"But, you can always tell me anything you want," she says gently. "I'm sure it's stressful bottling all that up."

He nods. "It can be."

She rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm here if you need me."

"Thank you, Tris."

"Is it scary?"

"Honestly? It's terrifying. It's terrifying to know that if I'm wrong, the repercussions could be unforgiveable."

"What do you mean?"

"I had an older partner when I first started out. He told me that he had a case where he put a mother of three children away. Kids went into the foster system while she sat in prison. She was killed by someone from her past on the inside _3 hours_ before more evidence showed up and proved him wrong." He takes a deep breath. "All of their lives were ruined because he made a mistake. That is a frightening amount of power." Tris looked at him to see him looking down at their hands. She really doesn't know what to say, so she says nothing. She just gets closer to him and is there with him.

"What's the best part?"

Tobias smiles. "Helping people, putting bad people where they belong, making a difference in this world even if it's small."

"That's why I teach. To make a small difference."

"It's an incredible feeling."

"It is. Seeing the light turn on inside a kid's head is a better high than any drug."

"So is slapping on a pair of cuffs," Tobias chuckles. The vibrations go through Tris and she sighs.

"I have something to confess," she says. Tobias frowns slightly but nods. "My _real_ name isn't Tris. The name on my license is Beatrice."

Tobias laughs nervously. "I know."

She looks up at him, her blue-gray eyes glistening with amusement. "You looked me up, didn't you?"

"Going 90 in a 55, Beatrice? Naughty, naughty," he teases, reminding her of the first and only speeding ticket she got when she was 19.

"But you went 80 in a 30 today!"

He laughs, "but I have sirens."

"But I had a brand new car," she mumbles.

"You are lucky that Uriah is the one who pulled you over."

"It's an effective way to make a new friend."

"That's how you met?"

Tris laughs, "he told me about a party. I don't know why, but I went."

"Sounds like him." A minute of silence passes as she watches his thumb swirl over her hand and the contrast of his tan skin against her fair. "You're not upset that I looked you up?"

"No. I stalked your _Facebook_ , so I'd consider us even."

He sucks in a breath. "Er, I did that, too." She looks at him with accusatory eyes, but he can tell she's not serious. "I'm a detective, what do you expect?"

"I guess I'll let it slide. You can make it up to me later."

" _Oh_?" She simply nods and smirks at him. "Okay."

"You know, if I had known you were a cop, I wouldn't have been so scared to open the door to the shop that night."

"I should have flashed my badge."

"That thought never occurred to you?"

"Not once." Suddenly, Tobias' phone rings. He picks it up from where it sits on the couch next to him. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tobias," Talia says. She sounds tired.

"Is everything okay?"

"He'll be alright. He's got some pretty bad burns on his left arm and a sprained ankle."

"What happened?"

"He was carrying a little boy out of a fire when he tripped on something and his arm fell right onto a burning… something. It's a pretty unclear."

"Is the boy okay?"

"He's fine. Everybody else is fine, too."

"Good."

"They're keeping him overnight, just to make sure there isn't any developing infection in his burns, but they think he'll be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's great."

"Thank you for rushing over there, Tobias. Is Tris there?"

Tobias glances down at Tris with a small smile. "Yeah."

"How'd it go with her and Emily?"

"Really well."

"Good. I'm on the road, and I'll be home soon. I love you."

"Okay. Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye." Tobias hangs up his phone and sighs in relief.

"Is daddy okay?" Emily's voice startles Tobias and Tris as they look up to see her standing at the bottom of the stairs with a blanket wrapped around her.

Tris sits up as Tobias opens his arms, letting Emily climb into his lap. "He's going to be fine. How'd you know about it?"

She shrugs. "Mommy is loud and Tris is not a very good liar."

"Wha-"

"Don't be sad, Tris. Uncle Tobias is not a good liar, too."

"I'm a great liar," Tobias defends. Emily simply shakes her head. Tobias sighs and drops it. "Are you okay?"

Emily nods. "Sometimes daddy goes to the hospital cause he has to save people from the fire. But he's always okay."

"Your dad's arm got burnt today. It might look kind of scary, but he's okay."

Emily nods. "He coming home?"

"Tomorrow."

Emily nuzzles into Tobias' chest and curls up tighter. "Mommy?"

"She'll be home soon."

With that, they hear a car door slam outside.

 **This chapter is pretty long compared to the others, but I was really enjoying myself writing. I hope you enjoyed! What do you think will happen between Tris and Talia during their first real meeting? I'm anxiously waiting to hear from you… :)**

 **-GerdyGertha**


	10. An Apology and Shitty News

**An Apology and Shitty News**

I know after a month of absence, this is _not_ what you want to hear.

Can I just be really honest with you all?

My life has been some chaotic _shit_ for months, and it just keeps getting worse.

I have a lot going on in my family, this semester has been killing me, I'm trying to deal with college – a new and terrifying territory.

But the absolute worst part is that I can't write anything without hating it. I don't know if I just over-criticize myself, or if I'm really that terrible, but either way I just… _can't_.

That's a pathetic excuse, but it's honest and I truly have no words to describe it.

I recently started taking a medication, and one of the side effects is a possible loss of interest in hobbies. I really don't know if that's why I feel so lost, but the timeline sure lines up.

I keep trying to write… and I try again, and again… but nothing. _I don't know why_.

I'm miserable and frustrated because this is what I've _love_ doing.

I'm not telling you this for your pity, I promise. I'm trying to give you answers. Some of you have asked if I'm okay, but the honest answer is that I don't know. The loss of writing feels like a chunk of me is missing. It's bizarre.

So, I am so, so, so upset to say this story will be paused. I'm going to keep trying, but I don't want to keep you all hanging any more.

Oh my God, I am so sorry to all of you.

Canceling a story is something I promised myself I would _never_ do, but that's not what this is. It's a pause… but maybe that's worse.

Anyway, I am sorry for this rant, and for pausing this story. I've just lost the inspiration that used to fly from my fingertips.

With my deepest apologies, and sincerest thanks for each and every one of you for everything,  
GerdyGertha


End file.
